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Derrick  Sterling 

A    STORY    OF    THE    MINES 


By  kirk  munroe 

AUTHOR   OF 

"the  flamingo  feather" 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK  AND    LONDON 
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Education 


CUFT 


CONTENTS.  BU^c, 
L)hrar 


7 


CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.  In  the  Burning  Breaker    ...........  1 

II.  A  Fearful  RroE 11 

III.  The  Mine  Boss  takes  Derrick  into  his  Confidence  .  23 

IV.  Introducing  Harry,  the  Bumping-mule 36 

V.  Attacked  by  Enemies,  and  Lost  in  the  Mine     ...  50 

VI.  The  Secret  Meeting.— A  Plunge  down  an  Air  shaft    63 

VII.  A  Cripple's  Brave  Deed 77 

VIII.  Derrick  Sterling's  Splendid  Revenge 91 

IX.  Socrates,  the  Wise  Mine  Rat 104 

X.  In  the  Old  Workings. — Misled  by  an  Altered  Line  .  117 

XI.  A  Fatal  Explosion  of  Fire-damp 130 

XII.  The  Mine  Boss  in  a  Dilemma 143 

XIII.  Ladies  in  the  Mine.— Harry  Mule's  Sad  Mishap  .    .  155 

XIV.  A  Life  is  Saved  and  Derrick  is  Promoted    .    .    .    .169 
XV.  A  "  Squeeze  "  AND  A  Fall  of  Rock 182 

XVI.  Bursting  of  an  Underground  Reservoir 194 

XVII.  Imprisoned  in  the  Flooded  Mine 206 

XVIII.  To  THE  Rescue  !— A  Ik^ESSAGE  prom  the  Prisoners  .    .  219 
XIX.  Restored  to  Daylight 232 

XX.   GOOD-BY  TO  THE  COLLIERY 345 


719 


ILLUSTEATIONS, 


PAGR 

In  the  Burning  Breaker Frontispiece 

It  Seemed  like  a  Thunder-bolt  to  the  Awe-stricken  Spec- 
tators   17 

"Look  a-here,  young  fellow.    They  say  you're  a-going  to 

DRIVE  MY  mule" 33 

"Here,  lad,  lead  this   mule  down  the  rest  of  the  way, 

WILL  YE?" 39 

While   Bill   was   thus   Talking   the   other   Boys  quietly 

Slipped  Away 59 

Paul's  Light  showed  nothing  in  front  save  the  Yawning 

Mouth  of  the  Shaft 71 

It  was  Bill  Tooley's  Limp  Body 83 

Standing  by  his  Son's  Bedside  gazed  curiously  at  him     .    .  101 

Paul  and  Socrates Ill 

And  all  Present  watched  for  the  Encounter  in  Breath- 
less Suspense 127 

Suddenly  there  came  a  Blinding  Flash,  a  Roar  as  of  a 

Cannon 135 

Derrick  is  Introduced 151 

Harry  Mule  Receives  Visitors 161 


I 


vi  Illustrations, 


PAGB 


•'Poor  Harry,  you  shall  have  everything  in  the  world 

DONE  FOR  YOU  IP  YOU  ONLY  WON'T  DIE  " 171 

Polly's  Picture-gallery 187 

"It  will  all  comb  out  right  yet,"  he  said.     "Keep  up  your 

courage" 303 

Traversing  the  Breast 215 

In  the  Flooded  Mine 223 

Derrick's  Return 237 

Good-by  to  the  Colliery 249 


DERRICK    STERLING: 

A  STORY  OF  THE  MINES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN   THE    BURNING    BREAKER. 


"  TJpiRE  !  Fire  in  the  breaker !  Oh,  the  boys !  the  poor 
-L  boys !"  These  cries,  and  many  like  them — wild,  heart- 
rending, and  full  of  fear — were  heard  on  all  sides.  They 
served  to  empty  the  houses,  and  the  one  street  of  the  little 
mining  village  of  Raven  Brook  was  quickly  filled  with  ex- 
cited people. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  a  hot  summer's  day,  and 
the  white-faced  miners  of  the  night  shift  were  just  leaving 
their  homes.  Some  of  them,  with  lunch-pails  and  water- 
cans  slung  over  their  shoulders  by  light  iron  chains,  were 
gathered  about  the  mouth  of  the  slope,  prepared  to  descend 
into  the  dark  underground  depths  where  they  toiled.  The 
wives  of  the  day  shift  men,  some  of  whom,  black  as  negroes 
with  coal-dust,  powder- smoke,  and  soot,  had  already  been 
drawn  up  the  long  slope,  were  busy  preparing  supper.  From 
the  mountainous  piles   of  refuse,  or  "  culm,"  barefooted 


2         Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

children,  nearly  as  black  as  their  miner  fathers,  were  tramp- 
ing homeward  with  burdens  of  coal  that  they  had  gleaned 
from  the  waste.  High  above  the  village,  sharply  outlined 
against  the  western  sky,  towered  the  huge,  black  bulk  of  the 
breaker. 

The  clang  of  its  machinery  had  suddenly  ceased,  though 
the  shutting-down  whistle  had  not  yet  sounded.  From  its 
many  windows  poured  volumes  of  smoke,  more  dense  than 
the  clouds  of  coal  -  dust  with  which  they  were  generally 
filled,  and  little  tongues  of  red  flame  were  licking  its  weath- 
er-beaten timbers.  It  was  an  old  breaker  that  had  been  in 
use  many  years,  and  within  a  few  days  it  would  have  been 
abandoned  for  the  new  one,  recently  built  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  valley.  It  was  still  in  operation,  however,  and 
within  its  grimy  walls  a  hundred  boys  had  sat  beside  the 
noisy  coal-chutes  all  through  that  summer's  day,  picking  out 
bits  of  slate  and  tossing  them  into  the  waste-bins.  From 
early  morning  they  had  breathed  the  dust-laden  air,  and  in 
cramped  positions  had  sorted  the  shallow  streams  of  coal 
that  constantly  flowed  down  from  the  crushers  and  screens 
above.  Most  of  them  were  between  ten  and  fourteen  years 
of  age,  though  there  were  a  few  who  were  even  younger 
than  ten,  and  some  who  were  more  than  sixteen  years  old.* 

Among  these  breaker  boys  two  were  particularly  noticea- 


*  A  law  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  forbids  the  employment  of  boys 
less  than  twelve  years  old  in  breakers,  or  less  than  fourteen  in  mines, 
This  law  is  not,  however,  strictly  enforced. 


In  the  Burning  Breaker,  5 

the  patient  face  of  his  hard-working  mother,  or  to  feel  the 
clinging  arms  of  little  Helen  about  his  neck.  He  would 
remember  how  they  were  depending  on  his  two  dollars  a 
week,  and,  instead  of  running  away,  would  turn  again  to  his 
work  with  a  new  energy,  determined  that,  since  he  was  to 
be  a  breaker  boy,  he  would  be  the  best  in  the  colliery. 

In  this  he  had  succeeded  so  well  as  to  win  praise,  even 
from  Mr.  Guffy,  the  breaker  boss,  who  usually  had  nothing 
but  harsh  words  and  blows  for  the  boys  who  came  under 
his  rule.  He  had  also  been  noticed  by  the  superintendent 
of  the  colliery,  and  promised  a  place  in  the  mine  as  soon 
as  a  vacancy  should  occur  that  he  could  fill.  In  the  breaker 
he  had  been  promoted  from  one  seat  to  another,  until  for 
several  weeks  past  he  had  occupied  the  very  last  one  on  the 
line  of  his  chute.  Here  he  gave  the  coal  its  final  inspection 
before  it  shot  down  into  the  bins,  from  which  it  was  loaded 
into  cars  waiting  to  carry  it  to  cities  hundreds  of  miles 
away.  Above  all,  Derrick  was  now  receiving  the  highest 
wages  paid  to  breaker  boys,  and  was  able  to  hand  his  moth- 
er three  big  silver  dollars  every  Saturday  night. 

The  first  time  he  did  this  seemed  to  him  the  proudest 
moment  of  his  life,  for,  as  she  kissed  him,  his  mother  said 
that  this  sum  was  sufiicient  to  pay  all  his  expenses,  that  he 
was  now  actually  supporting  himself,  and  was  therefore  as 
independent  as  any  man  in  the  colliery. 

It  was  a  wonderful  help  to  him,  during  the  last  few  weeks 
of  his  breaker  boy  life,  to  think  over  these  words  and  to 
realize  that  by  his  own  efforts  he  had  become  a  self-support- 


k 


6        Derrick  Sterling-.  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

ing  member  of  society.  It  really  seemed  as  though  he 
increased  in  stature  twice  as  fast  after  that  little  talk  with 
his  mother.  At  the  same  time  his  clothes  appeared  to 
shrink  from  the  responsibility  of  covering  an  independent 
man,  instead  of  the  boy  for  whom  they  had  originally  been 
intended. 

Beside  Derrick  Sterling,  that  hot  summer  afternoon,  sat 
Paul  Evert,  a  slender,  delicate  boy  with  a  fine  head  set 
above  a  deformed  body.  He  did  not  seem  much  more  than 
half  as  large  as  Derrick,  though  he  was  but  a  few  months 
younger,  and  his  great  wistful  eyes  held  a  frightened  look, 
as  of  some  animal  that  is  hunted.  He  too  had  been  com- 
pelled by  poverty  to  go  into  the  cruel  breaker,  and  try  to  win 
from  it  a  few  loaves  of  bread  for  the  many  little  hungry 
mouths  at  home,  which  the  miner  father  and  feeble  mother 
found  it  so  hard  to  feed. 

For  a  long  time  the  rude  boys  of  Eaven  Brook  had  teased 
and  persecuted  "  Polly  Evert,"  as  they  called  him,  on  account 
of  his  humped  back  and  withered  leg,  and  for  a  long  time 
Derrick  Sterling  had  been  his  stanch  friend  and  protector. 
While  the  even-tempered  lad  used  every  effort  to  avoid 
quarrels  on  his  own  behalf,  he  would  spring  like  a  young 
tiger  to  rescue  Paul  Evert  from  his  persecutors.  Many  a 
time  had  he  stood  at  bay  before  a  little  mob  of  sooty- 
faced  village  boys,  and  dared  them  to  touch  the  crippled 
lad  who  crouched  trembling  behind  him. 

On  this  very  day,  during  the  noon  breathing -spell,  he 
had  been  compelled  to  thrash  Bill  Tooley,  the  village  bully, 


In  the  Burning  Breaker.  7 

on  Paul's  behalf.  Bill  had  been  a  mule-driver  in  the  mine, 
but  had  been  discharged  from  there  a  few  days  before,  and 
taken  into  the  breaker.  He  now  sat  beside  Paul,  and  dur- 
ing the  whole  morning  had  steadily  tormented  him,  in  spite 
of  the  lad's  entreaties  to  be  let  alone  and  Derrick's  tierce 
threats  from  the  other  side. 

That  Derrick  had  not  escaped  scot-free  from  the  noon- 
hour  encounter  was  shown  by  a  deep  cut  on  his  upper  lip. 
That  Bill  Tooley  had  been  much  more  severely  punished 
was  evident  from  the  swollen  condition  of  his  face,  and 
from  the  fact  that  he  now  worked  in  sullen  silence,  without 
attempting  any  further  annoyance  of  the  hump-backed  lad 
beside  him.  Only  by  occasional  glances  full  of  hate  cast 
at  both  Derrick  and  Paul  did  he  show  the  true  state  of 
his  feelings,  and  indicate  the  revengful  nature  of  his 
thoughts. 

This  was  Paul's  first  day  in  the  breaker,  where  he  had 
been  given  work  by  the  gruff  boss  only  upon  Derrick  Ster- 
ling's earnest  entreaty.  Derrick  had  promised  that  he 
would  initiate  his  friend  into  all  the  details  of  the  business, 
and  look  after  him  generally.  He  had  his  doubts  concern- 
ing Paul's  fitness  for  the  work  and  the  terrible  life  of  a 
breaker  boy,  and  had  begged  him  not  to  try  it. 

Paul's  pitiful  "  What  else  can  I  do.  Derrick  ?  I  have  got 
to  earn  some  money  somehow,"  completely  silenced  him ; 
for  he  knew  only  too  well  that  in  a  colliery  there  is  but  one 
employment  open  to  a  boy  who  cannot  drive  a  mule  or 
find  work  in  the  mine.     Therefore  he  had  promised  to  try 


8        Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

and  secure  a  place  for  his  crippled  friend,  and  had  finally 
succeeded. 

Paul  was  struggling  bravely  to  finish  this  long,  weary 
first  day's  work  in  a  manner  that  should  reflect  credit  upon 
his  protector ;  but  the  hours  seemed  to  drag  into  weeks,  and 
each  minute  he  feared  he  should  break  down  entirely.  He 
tried  to  hide  the  cruel  slate  cuts  on  his  hands,  nor  let  Der- 
rick discover  how  his  back  ached,  and  how  he  was  choked 
by  the  coal-dust.  He  even  attempted  to  smile  when  Der- 
rick spoke  to  him,  though  his  ear,  unaccustomed  to  the  noise 
of  the  machinery  and  the  rushing  coal,  failed  to  catch  what 
was  said. 

While  the  crippled  lad,  in  company  with  a  hundred  other 
boys^  was  thus  anxiously  awaiting  the  welcome  sound  of  the 
shutting-down  whistle,  nt  the  first  blast  of  which  the  tor- 
rents of  coal  would  cease  to  flow,  and  they  would  all  rush 
for  the  stair -way  that  led  out-of-doors,  the  air  gradually 
became  filled  with  something  even  more  stifling  than  coal- 
dust —  something  that  choked  them  and  made  their  eyes 
smart.  It  was  the  pungent  smoke  of  burning  wood;  and 
by  the  time  they  fully  realized  its  presence  the  air  was 
thick  with  it,  and  to  breathe  seemed  wellnigh  impossible. 
Then,  just  as  the  boys  were  beginning  to  start  from  their 
seats,  and  cast  frightened  glances  at  each  other,  the  ma- 
chinery stopped ;  and  amid  the  comparative  silence  that 
followed  they  heard  the  cry  of  "  Fire  !"  and  the  voice  of  the 
breaker  boss  shouting,  "  Clear  out  of  this,  you  young  rascals ! 
Run  for  your  lives !     Don't  you  see  the  breaker's  afire  ?" 


In  the  Burning  Breaker,  9 

As  he  spoke  a  great  burst  of  flame  sprang  up  one  of  the 
waste  chutes  from  the  boiler-room  beneath  them,  and  with 
a  wild  rush  the  hundred  boys  made  towards  the  one  door- 
way that  led  to  the  open  air  and  safety. 

Obeying  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  Derrick  sprang  tow- 
ards it  with  the  rest.  Before  he  could  reach  it  a  faint  cry 
of  "  Derrick,  oh,  Derrick,  don't  leave  me !"  caused  him  to 
tnrn  and  begin  a  desperate  struggle  against  the  mass  of 
boys  who  surged  and  crushed  behind  him.  Several  times 
he  thought  he  should  be  borne  through  the  door-way,  but 
he  fought  with  such  fury  that  he  finally  won  his  way  back 
out  of  the  crowd  and  to  where  Paul  was  still  sitting. 

"  Come  on,  Polly,"  he  cried,  "  we  haven't  any  time  to 
lose." 

"  I  can't,  Derrick,"  was  the  answer  ;  "  my  crutch  is  gone." 

Surely  enough,  the  lame  boy's  crutch,  which  had  been 
leaned  against  the  wall  behind  him,  had  disappeared,  and  he 
was  helpless. 

At  first  Derrick  thought  he  would  carry  him,  and  made 
the  attempt;  but  his  strength  was  not  equal  to  the  task,  and 
he  was  forced  to  set  his  burden  down  after  taking  a  few 
steps  towards  the  door. 

He  called  loudly  to  the  last  of  the  boys,  who  was  just  dis- 
appearing through  the  door-way,  to  come  and  help  him.  At 
the  call  the  boy  turned  his  face  towards  them.  It  was  that 
of  Bill  Tooley,  and  it  bore  a  grin  of  malicious  triumph. 

The  next  instant  the  great  door  swung  to  with  a  crash 
that  sounded  like  a  knell  in  the  ears  of  Derrick  Sterling, 


lO      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

for  he  knew  that  it  closed  with  a  powerful  spring  lock,  the 
key  of  which  was  in  Mr.  Guffy's  pocket. 

The  crash  of  the  closing  door  was  followed  by  a  sec- 
ond burst  of  flame  that  came  rushing  and  leaping  up  the 
chutes,  and  above  its  roar  the  boys  heard  shrill  voices  in 
the  village  crying,  "  Fire !     Fire  in  the  breaker !" 


CHAPTER  II. 

A    FEARFUL    RIDE. 

AS  Derrick  and  Paul  realized  that  they  were  left  alone 
in  the  burning  breaker,  in  which  the  heat  was  now 
intense,  and  that  they  were  cut  off  from  the  stair- way  by 
the  closed  and  bolted  door,  they  remained  for  a  moment 
speechless  with  despair.  Then  Derrick  flung  himself  furi- 
ously against  the  heavy  door  again  and  again,  with  a  vague 
hope  that  he  might  thus  force  it  to  give  way.  His  efforts 
were  of  no  avail,  and  he  only  exhausted  his  strength ;  for 
the  massive  framework  did  not  even  tremble  beneath  the 
weight  of  his  body. 

Still  he  could  not  believe  but  that  somebody  would  open 
it  for  them,  and  he  would  not  leave  the  door  until  tiny 
flames  creeping  beneath  it  warned  him  that  the  stair-way 
was  on  fire  and  that  all  chances  of  escape  in  that  direction 
were  gone.  He  tried  to  make  himself  seen  and  heard  at 
one  of  the  open  windows,  but  was  driven  back  by  the  swirl- 
ing smoke.  Then  he  turned  to  Paul,  who  still  sat  quietly 
where  he  had  been  left.  The  crippled  lad  had  not  uttered 
a  single  cry  of  fear,  though  the  eager  flames  had  approached 
him  so  closely  that  he  could  feel  their  hot  breath,  and  knew 


1 2      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

that  in  another  minute  the  place  where  he  sat  would  be  sur- 
rounded by  them. 

As  Derrick  sprang  to  his  side,  with  the  intention  of  drag- 
ging him  as  far  as  possible  from  them,  he  said, 

"  The  slope,  Derrick !  If  we  could  only  get  to  the  top 
of  the  slope,  couldn't  we  somehow  escape  by  it?" 

"  I  never  thought  of  it !"  cried  Derrick.  "  We  might. 
We'll  try  anyhow,  for  if  we  stay  here  another  minute  we 
shall  be  roasted  to  death." 

Stooping,  he  lifted  Paul  in  his  lithe  young  arms,  and  with 
a  strength  born  of  despair  began  to  carry  him  up  the  long 
and  devious  way  that  led  to  the  very  top  of  the  lofty  build- 
ing. He  had  scarcely  taken  a  dozen  steps,  and  was  already 
staggering  beneath  his  burden,  when  he  stumbled  and  nearly 
fell  over  some  object  lying  on  the  floor.  With  an  excla- 
mation, he  set  Paul  down  and  picked  it  up. 

It  was  a  crutch,  Paul's  own  crutch ;  and  it  was  so  far 
above  where  they  had  sat  at  work  that  it  seemed  as  though 
it  must  have  been  flung  there. 

The  boys  did  not  pause  to  consider  how  the  crutch  came 
to  be  where  they  found  it,  but  joyfully  seizing  it,  Paul  used 
it  so  effectively  that  they  quickly  gained  the  top  of  the 
building  and  stood  at  the  upper  end  of  the  long  slope. 

It  was  a  framework  of  massive  timbers  supported  by  high 
trestle-work,  that  led  from  the  highest  point  of  the  breaker 
down  the  hill -side  into  the  valley,  where  it  entered  the 
ground.  From  there  it  was  continued  down  into  the  very 
lowest  depths  of  the  mine.     On  it  were  double  tracks  of 


A  Fearful  Ride.  1 3 

iron  rails,  up  which,  by  means  of  an  immensely  long  and 
strong  wire  cable,  the  laden  coal  cars  were  drawn  from  the 
bottom  of  the  mine  to  the  top  of  the  breaker.  As  a  loaded 
car  was  drawn  up,  an  empty  one,  on  the  opposite  track, 
went  down.  The  angle  of  the  slope  was  as  steep  as  the 
sharply  pitched  roof  of  a  house,  and  its  length,  from  the 
bottom  of  the  mine  to  the  top  of  the  breaker,  was  over  half 
a  mile. 

This  particular  slope  was  provided  with  a  peculiar  ar- 
rangement by  which  a  car  loaded  with  slate  or  other  ref- 
use, after  being  drawn  up  from  the  mine  to  a  point  a  short 
distance  above  the  surface,  could  be  run  backward  over  a 
vertical  switch  that  was  lowered  into  place  behind  it.  This 
vertical  switch  would  carry  it  out  on  the  dump  or  refuse 
heap.  The  top  of  the  dump  presented  a  broad,  level  sur- 
face for  half  a  mile,  on  which  was  laid  a  system  of  tracks. 
Over  these  the  waste  cars  were  drawn  by  mules  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  dump,  where  their  contents  were  tipped  out 
and  allowed  to  slide  down  the  hill-side.  During  working 
hours  a  boy  was  stationed  at  this  switch,  whose  business  it 
was  to  set  it  according  to  the  instructions  received  from  a 
gong  near  him.  This  could  be  struck  either  from  the  bot- 
tom of  the  mine  or  the  top  of  the  breaker,  by  means  of  a 
strong  wire  leading  in  both  directions  from  it.  One  stroke 
on  the  gong  meant  to  set  the  switch  for  the  mine,  and  two 
strokes  to  set  it  for  the  dump.  A  flight  of  rude  steps  led 
up  along  the  side  of  the  slope  from  the  mouth  of  the  mine 
to  the  top  of  the  breaker. 


14      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

Derrick  and  Paul  thought  that  perhaps  they  might  make 
their  way  down  this  flight  of  steps  and  thus  escape  from 
the  blazing  building ;  but  when  they  reached  the  end  of  the 
slope,  and  looked  down,  they  saw  that  this  would  be  impos- 
sible. Already  the  steps  were  on  fire,  and  the  whole  slope, 
as  far  as  they  could  see,  was  enveloped  in  a  dense  cloud  of 
smoke.  Through  it  shot  flaming  tongues  that  were  greedily 
licking  the  timbers  of  the  tall  trestle-work. 

If  Derrick  had  been  alone  he  would  have  made  the  at- 
tempt to  rush  down  the  steps,  and  force  his  way  through 
the  barrier  of  smoke  and  flame ;  but  he  knew  that  for  his 
companion  this  would  be  impossible,  and  that  even  to  try 
it  meant  certain  death. 

As  he  hesitated,  and  turned  this  way  and  that,  uncertain 
of  what  to  attempt,  an  ominous  crash  from  behind,  followed 
by  another  and  another,  warned  them  that  the  floors  of  the 
building  were  giving  way  and  letting  the  heavy  machinery 
fall  into  the  roaring  furnace  beneath.  They  knew  that  the 
walls  must  quickly  follow,  and  that  with  them  they  too 
must  be  dragged  down  into  the  raging  flames. 

Paul,  sitting  on  the  floor,  buried  his  face  in  his  hands, 
shutting  his  eyes  upon  the  surrounding  horrors,  and  prayed. 

Derrick  stood  up,  gazing  steadily  at  the  rushing  flames, 
and  thought  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  Suddenly  his 
eye  fell  upon  an  empty  coal-car  standing  on  the  track  at  the 
vary  edge  of  the  slope,  and  he  cried, 

"  Here's  a  chance,  Paul !  and  it's  our  only  one.  Get  into 
this  car,  quick  as  you  can.    Ilurry !  I  feel  the  walls  shaking." 


A  Fearful  Ride,  1 5 

As  Paul  clambered  into  the  car  in  obedience  to  his 
friend's  instructions,  though  without  an  idea  of  what  was 
about  to  happen,  Derrick  sprang  to  one  side,  where  a  brass 
handle  hung  from  the  wall,  and  pulled  it  twice  with  all  his 
might ;  then  back  to  the  car,  where  he  cast  off  the  hooks 
by  which  the  great  wire  cable  was  attached  to  it.  Again 
he  pulled  furiously,  twice,  at  the  brass  handle. 

He  had  done  all  that  lay  in  his  power,  and  was  now  about 
to  make  one  last,  terrible  effort  to  escape.  The  red  flames  had 
crept  closer  and  closer,  and  were  now  eagerly  reaching  out 
their  cruel  arms  towards  the  boys  from  all  sides.  Beneath 
them  the  supports  of  the  building  tottered,  and  in  another 
moment  it  must  fall.  Down  the  slope  the  shining  rails  of 
the  track  disappeared  in  an  impenetrable  cloud  of  smoke,  and 
Derrick  could  not  see  whether  his  signal  to  the  switch-tender 
had  been  obeyed  or  not. 

As  Paul  crouched  on  the  bottom,  at  one  end  of  the  car, 
his  companion  said, 

"Pm  going  to  push  her  over  and  let  her  go  down  the 
slope, '  Polly.'  If  the  trestle  hasn't  burned  away  she'll  take 
us  through  the  fire  and  smoke  quick  enough.  If  there's  any- 
body down  there  and  he's  heard  the  gong  and  set  the  switch, 
we'll  go  flying  off  over  the  dump.  I  guess  I  can  stop  her  with 
the  brake  before  she  gets  to  the  edge.  It's  half  a  mile,  you 
know.  If  the  switch  is  open,  we'll  go  like  a  streak  down  into 
the  mine  and  be  smashed  into  a  million  pieces.  It  won't  be 
any  worse  than  being  burned  to  death,  though.  Now  good-by, 
old  man,  if  I  don't  ever  see  you  alive  again.     Here  goes." 


1 6      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

"  Good-by,  dear  Derrick." 

Then  the  crippled  lad  closed  his  eyes  and  held  his  breath 
in  awful  expectation.  Derrick  placed  one  shoulder  against 
the  car,  gave  a  strong  push,  and,  as  he  felt  it  move,  sprang 
on  one  of  the  bumpers  and  seized  the  brake  handle  that  pro- 
jected a  few  inches  above  its  side. 

In  the  mean  time  the  two  boys  had  been  missed  in  the 
village,  and  as  it  became  known  that  they  were  still  within 
the  breaker,  the  entire  population,  frenzied  with  excitement, 
gathered  about  the  blazing  building,  making  vain  efforts  to 
discover  their  whereabouts,  that  they  might  attempt  a  rescue. 

'^o  men  on  earth  are  braver  in  time  of  danger,  or  more 
ready  to  face  it  in  rescuing  imperilled  comrades,  than  the 
miners  of  the  anthracite  collieries.  Had  they  known  where 
to  find  Derrick  and  Paul,  a  score  of  stalwart  fellows  would 
willingly  have  dashed  into  the  flames  after  them.  As  it  was, 
no  sign  that  they  were  still  in  existence  had  been  discovered, 
and  the  spectators  of  the  fire  were  forced  to  stand  and  watch 
it  in  all  the  bitterness  of  utter  helplessness. 

One  man  indeed  ran  up  the  blazing  stair-way,  and  with  a 
mighty  blow  from  the  pick  he  carried  crashed  open  the  door 
against  which  Derrick  had  so  vainly  flung  himself.  Only  a 
great  burst  of  flame  leaped  forth  and  drove  him  backward, 
with  his  clothing  on  fire  and  the  hair  burned  from  his  face. 
He  was  Paul  E vert's  father. 

Upon  receipt  of  the  tidings  that  her  boy  was  shut  up  in 
the  burning  breaker,  without  any  apparent  means  of  escape, 
Mrs.  Sterling  had  fallen  as  though  dead,  and  now  la}^  hap- 


IT  SifiXMW)   WKl  A  TttWW>*R-iiOi.X   10  THE    AWE-STRICKEN  SPECTATORS. 


A  Fearful  Ride,  19 

pily,  unconscious  of  his  awful  peril.  Little  Helen  sat  by 
her  mother's  bedside,  too  stunned  and  frightened  even  to 
cry. 

In  Paul's  home  a  crowd  of  wailing  women  surrounded 
Mrs.  Evert,  whose  many  children  clung  sobbing  to  her 
skirts. 

Suddenly  two  sharp  strokes  of  a  gong  rang  out,  loud  and 
clear,  above  the  roar  of  the  flames  and  the  crash  of  falling 
timbers.  The  crowd  of  anxious  spectators  heard  the  sound, 
and  from  them  arose  a  mighty,  joyous  shout.  "  They're 
alive !     They're  alive  !     They're  at  the  top  of  the  slope !" 

But  what  could  be  done  ?  The  trestle  was  already  blazing, 
and  the  upper  end  of  the  slope  was  hidden  from  the  view  of 
those  below  by  dense  volumes  of  ink-black  smoke. 

Again  the  gong  rang  out,  "  one,  two,"  and  one  man  of  all 
that  throng  thought  he  knew  what  it  meant.  Springing  to 
the  mine  entrance,  the  old  breaker  boss  threw  over  the  switch 
bar,  and  set  the  vertical  switch  for  the  dump. 

Then  came  a  crash  of  falling  walls,  and  out  of  the  accom- 
panying burst  of  fire  and  smoke,  down  along  the  shining 
track  of  the  slope,  shot  a  thunder-bolt. 

It  seemed  like  a  thunder-bolt  to  the  awe-stricken  spectators, 
as  it  rushed  out  of  the  flames,  leaving  a  long  trail  of  smoke 
behind  it.  In  reality  it  was  a  coal-car,  bearing  in  one  end  a 
crouching  figure  and  a  crutch.  At  the  other  end  stood  Der- 
rick Sterling,  bareheaded,  with  rigid  form  and  strained  mus- 
cles, and  with  one  hand  on  the  brake-handle. 

With  a  frightful  velocity  the   car  crossed  the   vertical 


20      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

switch  and  shot  out  over  the  level  surface  of  the  dump. 
Derrick  felt  the  strength  of  a  young  giant  as  he  tugged  at 
that  brake  handle.  The  wood  smoked  from  the  friction  as 
it  ground  against  the  wheel ;  but  it  did  its  duty.  On  the 
very  edge  of  the  dump,  half  a  mile  from  the  vertical  switch, 
the  car  stopped,  and  Derrick  sat  down  beside  it,  sick  and 
exhausted  from  the  terrible  nervous  strain  of  the  few  min- 
utes just  past. 

It  seemed  hours  since  the  machinery  had  stopped  in  the 
breaker  and  the  rush  of  boys  had  been  made  for  the  door- 
way ;  but  it  was  barely  ten  minutes  since  the  first  alarm 
had  been  given.  From  the  time  he  stood  face  to  face  with 
death  at  the  top  of  the  slope,  and  started  that  car  on  its 
downward  rush  through  the  flame  and  smoke,  less  than  two 
minutes  had  passed,  but  they  spanned  the  space  between  life 
and  death. 

As  yet  Derrick  could  not  realize  that  they  had  escaped, 
nor  did  he  until  he  felt  a  pair  of  arms  thrown  about  his 
neck  and  heard  Paul's  voice  saying, 

"  Derrick,  dear  Derrick !  you  have  saved  my  life,  and  as 
long  as  it  lasts  I  shall  love  you.  If  ever  I  have  a  chance  to 
show  it,  you  shall  see  how  dearly." 

Then  Derrick  stood  up  and  looked  about  him.  A  crowd 
of  men  and  boys  were  running  along  the  top  of  the  dump 
towards  them.  In  another  minute  they  had  both  been 
placed  in  the  car,  and  amid  joyous  cries  and  exultant  cheers 
it  was  being  rapidly  rolled  back  towards  the  village. 

When  Mrs.  Sterling  began  to  recover  consciousness  she 


A  Fearful  Ride,  2 1 

smiled  at  the  boy  whom  she  saw  standing  beside  her,  and 
said,  faintly, 

"  I've  had  an  awful  dream.  Derrick,  and  I  thank  God  it 
was  only  a  dream." 

And  Derrick  said,  "Amen,  mother." 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   MINE   BOSS  TAKES   DERRICK    INTO    HIS    CONFIDENCE. 

IN  a  mining  community  serious  accidents,  and  even  terri- 
ble disasters,  are  of  such  frequent  occurrence  that  in 
Kaven  Brook  the  burning  of  the  old  breaker  soon  ceased  to 
furnish  a  topic  of  conversation. 

It  was  not  until  the  day  after  that  of  the  fire  that  Derrick 
learned  of  the  presence  of  mind  displayed  by  the  old  break- 
er boss  in  comprehending  his  signal  on  the  gong  and  setting 
the  vertical  switch  for  the  dump.  As  soon  as  the  old  man 
came  home  that  evening,  Derrick  went  to  his  room  prepared 
to  pour  out  his  heartfelt  thanks.  He  had  hardly  begun 
when  the  breaker  boss  interrupted  him  with, 

"  There,  that'll  do,  an'  I  don't  want  to  hear  no  more  on  it. 
Any  fool  knows  that  two  gongs  means  *  dump  switch,'  an' 
when  one's  been  in  the  mines  forty  year,  man  an'  boy,  as  I 
have,  he  don't  take  no  credit  to  himself  for  doing  fool's  work. 
When  you  get  older  you'll  know  better'n  to  mention  sich  a 
thing." 

"  But,  Mr.  Guffy— " 

"  That'll  do,  I  tell  ye !"  roared  the  irascible  old  man. 
"  Clear  outen  here,  and  go  over  to  Warren  Jones's ;  he  wants 


The  Mine  Boss  takes  Derrick  into  his  Confidence,  23 

to  see  ye.  Hold  on !"  he  added,  as  Derrick  was  about  to 
leave  the  room.  "  On  your  way  stop  and  tell  that  hunchback 
butty*  of  yourn  to  be  on  hand  in  the  new  breaker  at  sharp 
seven  to-morrow  morning,  if  he  wants  to  keep  his  job.  Do 
ye  hear?" 

As  he  went  out  Derrick  smiled  to  think  of  the  old  man's 
pride,  which  would  not  allow  him  to  accept  thanks  or  praise 
from  a  boy  for  performing  a  creditable  action. 

At  the  same  time  the  breaker  boss  was  muttering  to  him- 
self, "  He's  a  fine  lad.  If  he'd  'a'  come  to  grief  through  any 
fault  of  mine  I'd  never  got  over  it.  'Twon't  do,  though,  to 
let  him  see  that  I  think  more  of  him  than  of  any  others  of 
the  young  scoundrels.  Boys  alius  gets  so  upperty  if  they 
thinks  you're  a-favorin'  of  'em.  They  must  be  kep'  down ! 
Yes,  sir !  kep'  down,  boys  must  be." 

Derrick  could  not  help  wondering  why  he  too  had  not 
been  ordered  to  report  at  the  new  breaker  the  next  morning, 
but  thought  it  better  not  to  ask  any  questions.  After  sup- 
per he  went  over  to  see  Mr.  Jones,  in  obedience  to  the  in- 
structions received  from  the  breaker  boss. 

"Warren  Jones,  the  assistant  superintendent,  or,  as  he  was 
generally  termed,  the  "  mine  boss,"  of  the  Raven  Brook  Col- 
liery, was  a  pleasant-faced,  out-spoken  young  man  of  about 
thirty.  At  present  he  was  acting  as  superintendent,  and  the 
burden  of  responsibility  bore  heavily  upon  him.  He  had 
a  host  of  warm  friends,  but  had  made  some  bitter  enemies 

*  Butty  is  the  word  used  by  miners  to  denote  helper  or  partner. 


24      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

among  the  miners  by  his  direct  honesty  of  purpose   and 
determination  to  deal  out  even-handed  justice  to  all  over 
whom  he  exercised  authority.     Although  generally  good 
natured  and  slow  to  find  fault,  he  could  be  quick  and  stern 
enough  when  occasion  demanded. 

Such  was  the  man  who  greeted  Derrick  Sterling  cordially 
that  evening,  showed  him  into  his  library,  and  made  him  sit 
down,  saying  that  he  wished  to  have  a  little  talk  with  him. 
He  spoke  in  terms  of  such  praise  of  Derrick's  behavior  on 
the  previous  day  as  to  bring  a  blush  of  pleasure  to  the  boy's 
cheeks. 

"  By-the-way,  Derrick,"  he  asked,  "  how  did  the  breaker 
catch  fire?" 

"  I  haven't  the  least  idea,  sir,"  answered  Derrick,  looking 
up  in  surprise. 

"  Oh  !  all  right,"  said  the  other,  carelessly.  "  I  didn't 
know  but  what  you  might  have  heard  something  said  about 
it." 

"  No,  sir,  I  haven't ;  that  is,  not  anything  that  I  thought 
amounted  to  anything.  I  have  heard  some  of  the  boys  talk- 
ing about  ^  Mollies,'  and  saying  that  they  beat  the  world  for 
floods  and  fires.     What  are  ^  Mollies '  anyway,  Mr.  Jones  ?" 

The  mine  boss  looked  at  him  curiously  for  a  moment 
before  replying, 

"  If  you  really  don't  know,  it's  time  you  did,  for  you're 
likely  to  see  and  hear  a  great  deal  of  them  if  you  decide  to 
make  mining  your  business  in  life.  All  that  I  know  about 
them  is  this : 


The  Mine  Boss  takes  Derrick  into  his  Confidence,  ^5 

"  Many  years  ago  a  young  woman  named  Mary,  or  Mollie, 
Maguire,  was  murdered  in  Ireland,  and  several  young  fellows 
belonging  to  an  order  called '  Kibbonmen '  bound  themselves 
by  an  oath  to  avenge  her  death  and  kill  her  murderer.  They 
succeeded  so  well  in  this  undertaking,  and  escaped  detection 
so  easily,  that  they  proceeded  to  redress  other  wrongs,  real 
and  fancied.  They  were  joined  by  other  men  of  their  own 
way  of  thinking,  and  finally  they  became  a  widely  spread 
and  powerful  society.  In  course  of  time,  whenever  anybody 
was  mysteriously  killed  in  Ireland,  it  came  to  be  said  that 
tlie  Mollie  Maguires  had  done  it,  and  so  the  name  clung  to 
them. 

^'At  last  the  murderous  order  was  introduced  into  this 
region  by  some  Irish  miners  who  wished  to  get  rid  of  an 
objectionable  overseer,  and  also  to  control  the  labor  unions 
among  the  miners.  It  has  so  spread  that  now  its  members 
are  known  to  exist  in  every  mining  community  of  the  an- 
thracite country.  It  is  one  of  the  most  cowardly  organiza- 
tions ever  formed  by  men,  and  one  of  the  most  cruel.  Its 
victims  are  given  no  warning  of  the  fate  in  store  for  them, 
but  are  struck  down  in  the  dark,  or  from  an  ambush,  by  un- 
seen hands. 

"  Often  the  murderer  has  no  previous  acquaintance  with, 
or  knowledge  of,  the  man  whom  he  kills.  He  blindly  obeys 
the  command  of  his  infernal  order,  and  is  thus  made  a  tool 
to  avenge  some  petty  grievance  or  fancied  injury. 

"The  Mollies  have  become  a  plague-spot  that  threatens 
the  health  and  life  of  this  region.     It  is  the  duty  of  every 


26       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

honest  man  and  boy  who  is  brought  into  any  sort  of  con- 
tact with  them  to  thwart  their  evil  designs  in  every  possi- 
ble way." 

"  Well,"  said  Derrick,  drawing  a  long  breath,  "  I  had  no 
idea  that  there  were  such  wicked  men  in  this  county." 

"  No,"  answered  the  mine  boss,  "  you  are  but  a  boy,  and 
have  had  but  little  experience  in  the  wickedness  of  this 
world ;  but  I  know  you  are  brave,  and  I  believe  you  to  be 
honest  and  loyal.  I  am  therefore  going  to  trust  you,  and 
tell  you  something  that  I  had  no  intention  of  mentioning 
when  I  sent  for  you  this  evening.     It  is  this : 

"  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  the  Mollies  are  strong  in 
this  colliery,  and  that  they  intend  to  make  trouble  here.  I 
have  lately  received  several  anonymous  letters  making  de- 
mands that  cannot  possibly  be  granted,  and  containing  vague 
threats  of  what  will  happen  in  case  they  are  not  satisfied. 
This  morning  I  found  this  note  pinned  to  my  door." 

Here  Mr.  Jones  opened  a  drawer  of  his  desk,  and  took 
from  it  a  dirty  sheet  of  paper,  which  he  handed  to  Derrick. 
On  it  was  scrawled  the  following : 

"  Bosses  take  Wornin'.  New  breakers  can  burn  as  well  as 
old.     Fires  cost  munny.     Better  pay  it  in  wage  to 

"  MOLLIE." 

As  the  boy  finished  reading  this  strange  communication, 
which  was  at  the  same  time  an  admission  and  a  threat,  he 
looked  up  in  surprise  and  began,  "  Then  you  think,  sir — " 


The  Mine  Boss  takes  Derrick  into  his  Confidence.  2  7 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  the  mine  boss.  "  I  not  only  think, 
but  I  feel  convinced,  that  the  mischief  has  begun.  More- 
over, I  am  determined  that  it  shall  end  before  it  goes  any 
further.  I  am  most  anxious  to  discover  who  is  at  the  bot- 
tom of  it,  and  in  this  I  want  you  to  help  me." 

"  Want  me  to  help  !"  exclaimed  Derrick,  in  astonishment. 

^'  Yes,  you,"  answered  Mr.  Jones,  smiling.  "  Your  very 
youth  and  inexperience  will  render  you  less  likely  to  be  sus- 
pected than  an  older  person.  I  am  certain  that  I  can  count 
upon  the  son  of  my  old  friend  Gilbert  Sterling  to  perform 
truly  and  faithfully  any  duty  which  his  employers  may  see 
fit  to  intrust  him  with.     Is  it  not  so,  Derrick  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  it  is,"  cried  the  boy.  "Just  tell  me  what  you 
want  me  to  do,  and  if  I  don't  succeed  it  won't  be  because 
I  haven't  tried  my  best." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  expected  you  to  say,"  remarked  the 
mine  boss,  quietly.  "Now  we  will  lay  our  first  plans.  I 
suppose  you  have  had  enough  of  the  breaker,  haven't  you  ?" 

"  Indeed  I  have,  sir." 

"  Very  well.  For  a  change  I  am  going  to  olfer  you  a  job 
in  the  mine  where  I  will  give  you  a  bumping -mule  to 
drive.     Your  wages  will  be  five  dollars  a  week." 

"  A  bumping-mule  ?"  queried  Derrick,  in  a  tone  of  per- 
plexity not  unmixed  with  disappointment.  From  the  pre- 
ceding conversation  he  had  expected  to  be  intrusted  with 
something  very  different  from  mule-driving ;  nor  had  he  any 
idea  what  sort  of  an  animal  the  one  in  question  might  be. 

This  time  Mr.  Jones  not  only  smiled  but  laughed  out- 


28      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

right;  for,  from  the  boy's  face  and  tone,  he  easily  under- 
stood what  was  passing  in  his  mind. 

"A  bumping  -  mule,"  he  explained,  "is  the  animal  that 
draws  the  loaded  coal-cars  from  the  chamberSj  or  breasts,  to 
where  they  are  made  up  into  trains.  These  trains  are  then 
hauled  by  a  team  of  mules  to  the  foot  of  the  slope.  Then, 
when  the  empty  cars  are  brought  back,  the  bumping-mule 
distributes  them  to  the  several  places  where  they  are  re- 
quired. I  suppose  his  title  comes  from  his  causing  the  cars 
to  bump  together  as  he  makes  them  up  into  trains.  In 
attending  to  your  duties  as  driver  of  this  most  important 
mule,  I  can  assure  you  that  your  time  will  be  fully  oc- 
cupied from  the  minute  you  go  into  the  mine  until  you 
leave  it. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  added,  with  a  humorous  twinkle  in  his 
eyes,  "that  our  conversation  led  you  to  think  you  were  to 
be  appointed  ^  air  boss '  of  the  mine,  or  placed  in  charge  of 
a  gang  at  the  very  least  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Derrick,  a  little  hesitatingly ;  "  I  ain't 
quite  such  a  greeny  as  that.  But  I  don't  see  how  I  can  help 
you  very  much  by  just  driving  a  bumping-mule." 

"  You  can  help  me  in  two  ways :  first,  by  doing  your 
duty  so  faithfully  that  I  may  be  able  to  depend  on  you  at 
all  times ;  second,  while  I  am  in  doubt  as  to  whom  I  may 
trust,  it  will  be  of  great  assistance  to  me  to  know  that  there 
is  at  least  one  person  constantly  in  the  mine  who  will  be 
true  to  the  interests  of  his  employers,  and  on  the  alert  to 
detect  any  attempt  to  injure  them." 


The  Mi7ie  Boss  takes  Derrick  into  his  Confidence,  29 

"  I  hope  you  don't  mean  that  I  am  to  be  a  spy  in  the 
mine,  sir?" 

"No,  my  boy,  I  do  not.  I  want  you  to  attend  strictly  to 
your  duties  as  driver  of  a  bumping  -  mule.  At  the  same 
time  I  want  you  to  consider  that  your  eyes  and  ears  are 
acting  in  the  place  of  my  eyes  and  ears.  If  at  any  time 
they  see  or  hear  anything  which  according  to  your  best 
judgment  I  ought  to  know,  I  hope  you  will  be  man  enough 
to  tell  me  of  it." 

"  Well,  sir,"  answered  Derrick,  "  I  am  glad  of  a  chance  to 
go  into  the  mine  and  to  earn  five  dollars  a  week.  If  you 
will  let  me  do  whatever  I  think  is  right  about  telling  you 
things  without  making  any  promises,  I  will  keep  my  eyes 
and  ears  wide  open." 

"  That  is  all  that  I  want  you  to  do,  my  boy." 

"  All  right,  sir,  then  Til  do  my  best ;  and  I  hope  I  sha'n't 
have  anything  •  to  tell  you  except  about  the  bumping- 
mule." 

"  So  do  I  hope  so  with  all  my  heart.  Derrick,"  said  the 
mine  boss,  gravely ;  "  for  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  if  you 
have  anything  else  to  tell  me  it  will  be  something  very  se- 
rious and  unpleasant.  Now  you  may  take  this  order  for  a 
pair  of  rubber  boots  and  a  miner's  cap  and  lamp  over  to 
the  store  and  get  the  things.  Be  on  hand  to  go  down  with 
the  first  gang  of  the  morning  shift.  You  will  find  me  in 
the  mine,  and  I  will  see  that  you  are  properly  set  to  work. 
Good-night." 

"Good -night,  sir,"  answered  Derrick,  as,  with  the  store 


30      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Miiies, 

order  in  his  hand,  and  his  mind  full  of  conflicting  emotions, 
he  left  the  house. 

Several  miners  of  the  day  shift  were  in  the  store  when 
Derrick  went  to  present  his  order.  By  questioning  him  as 
to  what  he  wanted  with  mine  clothes,  they  soon  learned  that 
he  was  to  begin  life  underground  the  next  day  as  driver  of 
a  bumping-mule. 

^'De  young  bantam  '11  find  it  a  tougher  job  than  riding 
empty  cars  down  de  slope,"  sneered  one  big  ugly-looking 
fellow,  whose  name  was  Monk  Tooley,  and  who  was  Bill 
Tooley's  father. 

"  I  reckon  you've  laid  in  a  big  supply  of  cuss-words  as  a 
stock  in  trade !     Eh,  lad  ?"  asked  another. 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  said  Derrick,  flushing  hotly.  "  I  don't 
believe  in  swearing,  and  if  I  can't  drive  a  mule  without  it 
I  won't  drive  him  at  all." 

"Then  I  reckon  you'll  hunt  some  other  business  putty 
quick,"  answered  the  miner  with  a  coarse  laugh  in  which 
the  others  joined.  "  Mules  won't  work  without  they  hears 
the  peculiar  langwidge  they's  most  fond  of." 

"  Well,"  said  Derrick,  "  we'll  see."  And  leaving  the  store 
with  his  purchases  he  started  homeward.  On  the  way  he 
stopped  to  deliver  Mr.  Guffy's  message  to  Paul  Evert,  and 
to  tell  his  friend  the  great  news  that  on  the  following  day 
he  was  to  begin  the  life  of  a  miner. 

"  I  wish  I  was  going  with  you,"  said  Paul. 

"  I  wish  you  were,  Polly,"  answered  Derrick.  "  Perhaps 
there  will  be  a  chance  for  you  down  there  before  long,  and 


The  Mine  Boss  takes  Derrick  into  his  Confidence.   3 1 

by  that  time  I  will  have  learned  all  the  ropes,  and  can  tell 
you  what's  what." 

Although  Derrick  had  lived  much  among  collieries,  he 
had  never  been  allowed  to  go  down  into  a  mine.  His  par- 
ents had  kept  him  as  much  as  possible  from  associating  with 
the  rough  mine  lads  of  the  village.  Thus,  until  he  went 
into  the  breaker  to  earn  his  own  living,  he  had  held  but 
slight  intercourse  with  them.  His  friend  Paul,  being  the 
son  of  a  miner,  knew  far  more  of  underground  life  than  he, 
and  often  smiled  at  his  ignorance  of  many  of  the  commonest 
mine  terms. 

Derrick  was  a  peculiar  boy  in  one  respect.  He  disliked 
to  ask  questions,  and  would  rather  spend  time  and  patience 
in  finding  out  things  for  himself,  if  it  were  possible  for  him 
to  do  so.     What  he  thus  learned  he  never  forgot. 

He  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  surface  workings  of 
a  colliery,  and  could  explain  the  construction  of  the  great 
pumps  that  kept  the  mine  free  from  water,  the  huge,  swiftly 
revolving  fan  that  drew  all  foul  air  from  it,  or  any  of  its 
other  machinery.  His  father's  profession  had  long  seemed 
to  him  a  most  desirable  one,  and  he  spent  much  of  his  spare 
time  in  studying  such  engineering  books  as  still  remained 
in  the  house.  He  loved  to  pore  over  his  father's  tracings 
and  maps  of  the  old  workings.  With  these  he  had  become 
so  well  acquainted  that  he  believed  he  could  locate  on  the 
surface  the  exact  spots  beneath  which  ran  the  gangways, 
headings,  and  breasts  of  the  abandoned  portions  of  the  mine. 

By  means  of  these  old  maps  he  had  also  discovered  on 


32       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

the  mountain  side,  more  than  a  mile  away,  the  mouth  of  a 
drift  leading  into  a  vein  worked  out  and  abandoned  more 
than  twenty  years  before.  This  discovery  he  kept  to  him- 
self  as  a  precious  secret  bequeathed  to  him  by  his  father, 
though  he  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that  it  would  ever  be 
of  any  practical  value  to  him. 

After  leaving  Paul,  Derrick  hurried  home  to  tell  his 
mother  the  great  news  that  he  was  to  work  in  the  mine 
and  earn  five  dollars  a  week,  and  to  show  her  his  mine 
clothes.  He  was  greatly  disappiointed  that  instead  of  rejoic- 
ing over  his  brightening  prospects  she  only  gazed  at  him 
without  speaking,  until  the  tears  filled  her  eyes  and  rolled 
down  her  pale  cheeks. 

"  Why,  mother,"  he  said, "  aren't  you  glad  ?  Only  think — 
five  dollars  a  week !" 

"  Oh,  my  boy,  my  boy,"  she  exclaimed,  drawing  him  to 
her,  "I  can't  let  you  go  down  into  that  horrible  place! 
'Twas  there  your  father  met  his  death." 

"  Shall  I  go  back  to  the  breaker,  then,  mother  ?" 

"  No,  no ;  I  didn't  mean  what  I  said.  God  has  deliv- 
ered you  from  one  fearful  peril,  and  he  can  guide  you  safely 
through  all  others.  Yes,  I  am  glad,  Derrick — glad  of  any 
step  that  you  take  forward  ;  but  oh,  my  boy,  be  very  careful 
wherever  you  go.  Remember  how  precious  your  life  is  to 
me." 

Dressed  in  his  new  mine  clothes,  Derrick  hurried  through 
breakfast  the  next  morning,  and  started  for  the  mouth  of 
the  slope  bright  and  early. 


The  Mine  Boss  takes  Derrick  into  his  Confidence.  35 

On  his  way  he  met  Bill  Tooley,  who  stopped  him  by  call- 
ing out,  "  Look  a-here,  young  feller.  They  say  yer  a-going 
down  ter  drive  my  mule." 

"  Didn't  know  you  had  a  mule,"  answered  Derrick,  pleas- 
antly. 

"  Well,  I  did  have  a  mule ;  an'  what's  more,  I'm  going 
ter  have  him  again.  Any  feller  that  goes  to  driving  him  be- 
fore I  get  back  will  be  sorry  he  ever  done  it,  that's  all.  I 
don't  care  if  he  is  the  bosses'  pet,  and  did  take  a  ride  in  a 
hand-car." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

INTRODUCING   HAERY,  THE    BUMPING-MULE. 

AS  Derrick  walked  towards  the  entrance  to  the  mine, 
-  he  wondered  what  the  bully  whom  he  had  just  met 
meant  by  what  he  said.  He  did  not  then  know  that  Bill 
Tooley  had  been  discharged  from  the  mine  by  Mr.  Jones 
for  brutal  treatment  of  tlie  mule  he  had  driven,  and  for 
general  laziness  and  neglect  of  his  duties. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  "  travelling-road,"  down  which  the 
early  arrivals  were  compelled  to  make  their  way  into  the 
mine,  Derrick  was  greeted  by  a  little  group  of  miners  who 
were  lighting  their  lamps  and  preparing  to  descend. 

"  'Tis  bonny  to  see  thee.  Derrick  lad,"  called  out  one  of 
them. 

"  'Twill  be  luck  to  the  mine  to  have  such  as  you  in  her,'^ 
said  another. 

"  My  lad  would  ha'  been  your  age  an  he'd  lived,"  said  a 
third.  "  'Twould  ha'  been  a  proud  day  for  me  to  ha'  seen 
him  alongside  o'  thee,  lad,  lighting  his  bit  lamp,  and  ready 
to  take  up  the  life  of  an  honest  miner." 

In  the  group  was  Tom  Evert,  Paul's  father,  a  brawny, 
muscular  man,  who  was  considered  one  of  the  best  miners 


Inti^oducing  Harry,  the  Bumping -mule.        37 

in  Raven  Brook.  Taking  Derrick  a  little  to  one  side,  he 
said, 

"  They  tell  me,  lad,  thou'rt  to  drive  Bill  Tooley's  mule." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  Bill  Tooley's  mule,"  an- 
swered Derrick.  "  I  only  know  that  Mr.  Jones  said  I  was 
to  drive  a  bumping-mule,  and  I  intend  to  do  exactly  what 
he  tells  me." 

"  Of  course,  lad,  of  course ;  but  the  bumping-mule  he  has 
in  mind  will  be  Bill  Tooley's,  I  doubt  not,  and  I'd  rather 
'twould  be  another  than  you  had  the  job.  Bill  Tooley,  with 
his  feyther  to  back  him,  is  certain  to  take  it  out,  some  way 
or  another,  of  the  lad  that  steps  into  his  place." 

"  I'm  not  afraid  of  Bill  Tooley,  as  you  ought  to  know,  Mr. 
Evert,"  said  Derrick,  somewhat  boastfully,  as  he  thought  of 
the  thrashing  he  had  so  recently  given  the  young  man  in 
question. 

"  Of  course  not,  lad,  of  course  not.  I  know  you  can  lick 
him  fast  enough  in  fair  fight.  My  poor  little  Paul  can 
bear  ready  witness  to  that,  for  which  I'm  under  obligations 
to  you.  It's  not  fair  fighting  I  mean ;  for  when  it  comes  to 
argyfying  with  them  Tooleys,  it's  foul  play  you  must  look 
out  for ;  and  what  the  young  un  lacks  in  pluck  he  makes 
up  in  inflooence." 

Derrick  was  about  to  ask  what  he  meant,  but  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  movement  of  the  miners  towards  the  entrance. 
In  another  moment  he  found  himself  rapidly  descending 
the  steep  steps  of  the  travelling-road,  and  feeling  that  the 
attempt  to  keep  pace  with  the  long-limbed  fellows  ahead  of 


38       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

him  must  certainly  result  in  his  pitching  headlong  into  the 
unknown  depth  of  blackness. 

The  travelling-road  was  a  gigantic  stair- way,  leading  at 
a  steep  angle  directly  down  into  the  earth.  It  was  high 
enough  for  a  man  to  stand  upright  in  without  hitting 
his  head  against  the  roof,  and  it  was  provided  with  steps. 
They  were  cut  or  dug  out  of  the  rock,  earth,  or  coal  down 
through  which  the  road  passed,  and  were  very  broad  and 
very  high.  The  front  edge  of  each  was  formed  of  a 
smooth  round  log.  From  the  roof  and  sides  of  the  road 
dripped  and  trickled  little  streams  of  water  that  made 
everything  in  it  wet  and  soggy,  and  rendered  the  edges  of 
the  steps  particularly  slippery. 

The  air  in  the  road  was  chilly  in  comparison  with  that  of 
the  warm  summer's  morning  in  which  the  outside  world  was 
rejoicing,  and  Derrick  shivered  as  he  first  encountered  its 
penetrating  dampness.  Of  course  the  darkness  was  intense, 
but  at  first  it  was  partially  dispelled  by  the  lights  of  the 
half-dozen  miners  in  whose  company  he  had  entered  the 
road.  As  they  gradually  left  him  behind,  their  twinkling 
lights  grew  fainter  and  fainter,  until  at  last  they  vanished 
entirely,  and  Derrick  found  himself  stumbling  alone  down 
the  apparently  interminable  stair-way. 

While  yet  in  company  with  the  miners,  he  had  passed 
through  one  door  made  of  heavy  planks,  that  completely 
closed  the  road,  and  now  he  came  to  another.  Through  its 
chinks  and  cracks  there  was  a  rush  of  air  from  outside 
inward  that  hummed  and  whistled  like  a  small  gale.     It 


LAD,  LEAD   THIS   MULE  DOWN   THE   REST   OP   THE  WAY,  WILL  TK  ?' 


Introducing  Harry y  the  Bumpmg-mute.        41 

took  all  of  Derrick's  strengtli  to  pull  this  door  open,  and  it 
closed  behind  him  with  a  crash  that  reverberated  in  long, 
hollow  echoes  down  the  black  depths  before  him. 

Some  distance  below  he  was  startled  by  a  heavy  booming 
sound  from  above,  which  was  followed  by  a  tremendous  clat- 
tering, mingled  with  shouts  and  cries.  In  the  first  of  these 
sounds  he  recognized  the  closing  of  the  door  through  which 
he  had  recently  passed,  but  he  could  not  account  for  the 
others. 

They  were  continued,  and  grew  louder  and  louder  as  they 
approached,  until  at  length  they  were  close  at  hand,  and  he 
saw  lights  and  a  confused  mass  of  struggling  forms  directly 
above  him.  Stepping  to  one  side.  Derrick  flattened  himself 
against  the  wall  to  let  them  pass ;  but  just  as  the  miner  who 
came  first  reached  that  point,  he  tossed  the  end  of  a  rope 
into  the  boy's  hands,  saying,  "  Here,  lad,  lead  this  mule  down 
the  rest  of  the  way,  will  ye  ?  I'm  in  a  powerful  hurry  my- 
self." 

In  another  instant  he  had  gone,  leaping  with  immense 
strides  down  the  precipitous  steps,  and  Derrick  found  him- 
self staring  into  the  comical  face  of  a  large  mule  which, 
with  his  fore -feet  on  one  step  and  his  hind  ones  on  that 
above,  looked  as  though  he  were  about  to  stand  on  his 
head. 

*'  Go  on,  can't  yer !"  called  out  an  impatient  voice  from 
behind  the  mule.  "  Do  ye  think  I  can  hang  onto  this  'ere 
blessed  tail  all  day  ?  A  mule's  no  feather  -  weight,  let  me 
tell  yer." 


42      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

Then  Derrick  realized  that  another  man  held  the  mule 
by  the  tail,  and  was  exerting  all  his  strength  to  prevent  him 
from  going  down  too  fast.  Accepting  the  situation,  he 
started  ahead,  encouraging  the  mule  to  follow ;  but  this  ar- 
rangement did  not  seem  to  suit  the  animal,  for  he  refused 
to  budge  a  step  from  where  he  stood,  nor  could  the  man  in 
the  rear  push  him  along. 

"  Here,  you  !"  the  man  called  out  to  Derrick,  "  come  back 
here  and  steer  him  while  I  take  his  head.  When  he  gets 
started,  hang  on  to  his  tail  with  all  your  might,  and  hold 
back  all  yer  can." 

So  they  changed  places,  and  the  mule  was  so  greatly 
pleased  at  having  got  his  own  way  that  he  began  to  plunge 
down  the  stairs  with  great  rapidity.  Derrick  felt  almost  as 
though  he  were  being  rushed  through  space  on  the  tail  of  a 
comet,  and  shuddered  to  think  of  the  broken  limbs  and  gen- 
eral destruction  that  must  inevitably  follow  such  reckless 
travelling.  The  mule,  however,  seemed  to  know  what  he 
was  about  as  well  as  the  man  who  led  him,  and  took  such 
good  care  of  himself  that  Derrick  soon  plucked  up  courage, 
and  even  began  to  enjoy  the  situation. 

As  he  was  thinking  that  they  must  be  somewhere  near 
the  centre  of  the  earth,  the  mule  gave  an  unusually  violent 
plunge  forward,  and  then  stopped  so  suddenly  that  poor 
Derrick  found  himself  sprawling  on  the  animal's  back,  with 
both  arms  clasped  tightly  about  its  neck.  With  this  the 
mule  began  to  caper  and  shake  himself  so  violently  that  the 
boy  was  forced  to  loose  his  hold  and  fall  to  the  ground, 


Introducing  Harry  ^  the  Bumping -mule,        43 

amid  roars  of  laughter  from  a  score  of  miners  who  wit- 
nessed the  scene. 

Greatly  confused,  Derrick  scrambled  to  his  feet,  gave  a  re- 
proachful glance  at  the  mule,  which  was  calmly  gazing  at  him 
with  a  wondering  look  in  his  wide-open  eyes,  and  turned  to 
see  in  what  sort  of  a  place  he  had  been  so  unceremoniously 
landed.  At  the  same  moment  Mr.  Jones,  dressed  in  miner's 
costume,  and  looking  as  grimy  as  any  of  the  others,  stepped 
from  the  laughing  group  and  said, 

"  My  boy,  I  congratulate  you  on  being  the  first  person 
who  ever  rode  into  this  mine  on  mule-back.  I  am  glad 
you  found  the  travelling-road  so  good.  Came  on  your  own 
mule  too.  How  did  you  know  this  was  the  bumping-mule 
you  were  to  drive  ?" 

"  I  didn't  know  what  sort  of  a  mule  he  was  until  just  as 
we  got  here  and  he  bumped  me  off  his  back,"  replied  Der- 
rick ;  "  and  I  begin  to  think  that  he  knows  more  about 
driving  than  I  do." 

"Well,  you  have  made  a  notable  beginning,"  said  the 
mine  boss,  "  and  I  am  sure  you  two  will  get  along  capitally 
together.  Harry  Mule,  this  is  Derrick  Sterling,  who  is  to 
be  your  new  driver,  and  I  want  you  to  behave  yourself  with 
him."  Then  to  Derrick  he  said,  "Harry  has  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  the  most  knowing,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
most  perverse,  mule  in  the  mine.  I  believe  though  he  only 
shows  bad  temper  to  those  who  abuse  him,  and  I  have  se- 
lected you  to  be  his  driver  because  I  know  you  will  treat 
him  kindly,  and  give  him  a  chance  to  recover  his  lost  repu- 


44      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

tation.  If  he  does  uot  behave  himself  with  you,  I  shall  put 
him  in  the  tread-mill.  Now  stand  there  out  of  the  way  for 
a  few  minutes,  and  then  1  will  show  you  where  you  are  to 
work." 

Derrick  did  as  he  was  directed,  and  quickly  found  him- 
self intensely  interested  in  the  strange  and  busy  scene  be- 
fore him.  The  travelling-road  entered  the  mine  in  a  large 
chamber  close  beside  the  foot  of  the  slope  that  led  upward 
to  the  new  breaker.  From  this  chamber  branched  several 
galleries,  or  "  gangways,"  in  which  were  laid  railway-tracks. 
Over  these,  trains  of  loaded  and  empty  coal-cars  drawn  by 
mules  were  constantly  coming  and  going.  By  the  side  of 
the  track  in  each  gangway  was  a  ditch  containing  a  stream 
of  ink-black  water,  flowing  towards  a  central  well  in  one 
corner  of  the  chamber,  from  which  it  was  pumped  to  the 
surface.  Opposite  to  where  he  stood.  Derrick  saw  the  black, 
yawning  mouth  of  another  slope,  which,  as  he  afterwards 
learned,  led  down  into  still  lower  depths  of  the  mine.  The 
men  around  him  were  handling  long  bars  of  railroad  iron, 
which  they  were  loading  with  a  great  racket  on  cai*s,  and 
despatching  to  distant  gangways  in  which  new  tracks  were 
needed.  Two  large  reflector  lamps  in  addition  to  the 
miners'  lamps  made  the  chamber  quite  bright,  and  with  all 
its  noise  and  bustle  it  seemed  to  Derrick  the  most  interest- 
ing place  he  had  ever  been  in.  He  was  sorry  when  the 
mine  boss  called  and  told  him  to  bring  along  his  mule  and 
follow  him. 

They  entered  one  of  the  gangways,  leading  from  the  cen- 


Introdumig  Harry,  the  Bumpi7tg-mule.        45 

tral  chamber,  which  the  mine  boss  said  was  known  as  Gang- 
way  No.  1.  He  also  told  Derrick  something  about  his  mule, 
and  said  that  by  its  last  driver.  Bill  Tooley,  the  poor  animal 
had  been  so  cruelly  abused  that  he  had  sent  it  to  the  surface 
for  a  few  days  to  recover  from  the  effects. 

"  I  guess  he  has  recovered,"  said  Derrick,  "  judging  from 
the  way  he  brought  me  into  the  mine." 

They  had  not  gone  very  far  before  they  came  to  a  closed 
door  on  one  side  of  the  gangway  beyond  which  the  mule 
absolutely  refused  to  go,  in  spite  of  all  Derrick's  coaxings 
and  commands. 

"  It  is  the  door  of  his  stable,"  said  the  mine  boss,  who 
stood  quietly  looking  on,  without  offering  any  assistance  or 
advice,  waiting  to  see  what  the  boy  would  do. 

Tying  the  end  of  the  halter  to  one  of  the  rails  of  the 
track  on  which  they  were  walking.  Derrick  started  into  the 
stable,  where  he  quickly  found  what  he  wanted.  Coming 
out  with  a  handful  of  oats,  he  let  the  mule  have  a  little  taste 
of  them ;  and  then,  loosening  the  halter,  tried  to  tempt  him 
forward  with  them.  This  plan  failed,  for  Harry  declined  to 
yield  to  temptation,  and  remained  immovable.  Then  Der- 
rick turned  a  questioning  glance  upon  the  mine  boss,  who 
said, 

"  Never  again  hitch  an  animal  to  ^  track  along  which  cars 
are  liable  to  come  at  any  moment.  Now,  why  do^'t  you 
beat  the  mule  ?" 

"Oh  no,  sir!"  exclaimed  Derrick,  in  distress.  "I  don't 
(v^ant  to  do  that." 


46      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mhies, 

"  Neither  do  I  want  you  to,"  laughed  the  other.  *^  I  only 
asked  why  you  didn't  ?" 

"Because,"  said  Derrick,  "I  want  him  to  become  fond 
of  me,  and  my  mother  says  the  most  stubborn  animals  can 
be  conquered  by  kindness,  while  beatings  only  make  them 
worse." 

"  Which  is  as  true  as  gospel,"  said  the  mine  boss.  "  Well, 
the  only  other  thing  I  can  suggest  is  for  you  to  go  into  the 
stable,  get  the  harness  that  hangs  on  the  peg  nearest  the 
door,  and  put  it  on  him." 

Acting  upon  this  hint,  Derrick  had  hardly  finished  buck- 
ling the  last  strap  of  the  harness  when  the  mule  began  to 
move  steadily  forward  of  his  own  accord. 

"That's  his  way,"  said  the  mine  boss.  "In  harness  he 
knows  that  he  is  expected  to  work,  but  without  it  he  thinks 
he  may  do  as  he  pleases." 

Presently  the  mule  stumbled  slightly,  and  again  he  stopped 
and  refused  to  go  ahead. 

"  Do  you  know  what  is  the  matter  now,  sir  ?"  asked  Der- 
rick. 

"  I  think  perhaps  he  wants  his  lamp  lighted,"  replied  the 
mine  boss. 

A  miner's  lamp,  attached  to  a  broad  piece  of  leather,  hung 
down  in  front  of  the  mule  from  his  collar. 

Th^  boy  lighted  this  lamp,  and  immediately  the  mule 
began  to  move  on,  showing  that  this  was  exactly  what  he 
had  wanted. 

"Seems  to  me  he  knows  almost  as  much  as  folks,"  cried 


hitroducing  Harry,  the  Bumping-Tnule,        47 

Derrick,  highly  delighted  at  this  new  proof  of  his  mule's 
intelligence. 

"  Quite  as  much  as  most  folks,  and  more  than  some,"  an- 
swered his  companion,  dryly. 

During  their  long  walk  they  passed  through  several  doors 
which,  as  Derrick  was  told,  served  to  regulate  the  currents 
of  air  constantly  flowing  in  and  out  of  the  mine,  and  kept 
in  motion  by  the  great  fan  at  its  mouth.  Whenever  they 
approached  one  of  these  the  mine  boss  called,  loudly, "  Door," 
and  it  was  immediately  opened  by  a  boy  who  sat  behind  it 
and  closed  it  again  as  soon  as  they  had  passed.  Each  of  these 
boys  had  besides  his  little  flaring  lamp,  such  as  everybody  in 
the  mine  carried,  a  can  of  oil  for  refilling  it,  a  lunch-pail  and 
a  tin  water-bottle,  and  each  of  them  spent  from  eight  to  ten 
hours  at  his  post  without  leaving  it. 

Finally  Derrick  and  the  mine  boss  came  to  a  junction  of 
several  galleries,  a  sort  of  mine  cross-roads,  and  the  former 
was  told  that  this  was  to  be  his  headquarters,  for  here  was 
where  the  trains  were  made  up,  and  from  here  the  empty 
cars  were  distributed.  At  the  farther  end  of  each  of  the 
headings  leading  from  this  junction  two  or  more  miners 
were  at  work  drilling,  blasting,  and  picking  tons  of  coal 
from  between  its  enclosing  walls  of  slate.  They  were  all 
doing  their  best  to  fill  the  cars  which  it  was  Derrick's  busi- 
ness to  haul  to  the  junction  and  replace  with  empty  ones. 
There  were  also  a  number  of  miners  at  work  in  breasts,  or 
openings  at  the  sides  of  the  gangways  that  followed  the 
slant  of  the  coal  vein,  who  expected  to  be  supplied  with 


48      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

empty  cars  and  have  their  loaded  ones  taken  away  by  Der- 
rick. These  breast  miners  filled  their  cars  very  quickly,  as 
the  moment  they  loosened  the  coal  it  slid  down  the  slaty  in- 
cHne,  above  which  it  had  been  bedded,  to  a  wooden  chute 
on  the  edge  of  the  gangway  that  discharged  it  directly  into 
them. 

As  Derrick  was  told  of  all  this,  he  realized  tliat  he  and 
Harry  Mule  would  have  to  get  around  pretty  fast  to  attend 
to  these  duties,  and  supply  empty  cars  as  they  were  needed. 

What  interested  him  most  in  this  part  of  the  mine  was 
an  alcove  hewn  from  solid  rock  near  the  junction,  in  which 
was  a  complete  smithy.  It  had  forge,  anvil,  and  bellows,  and 
was  presided  over  by  a  blacksmith  named  Job  Taskar,  as 
ugly  a  looking  fellow.  Derrick  thought,  as  he  had  ever  seen. 
Here  the  mules  were  shod,  tools  were  sharpened,  and  broken 
iron- work  was  repaired.  It  was  a  busy  place,  and  its  glow- 
ing forge,  together  with  the  showers  of  sparks  with  which 
Job  Taskar's  lusty  blows  almost  constantly  surrounded  the 
anvil,  made  it  appear  particularly  cheerful  and  bright  amid 
the  all-pervading  darkness.  Nearly  every  man  and  boy  in 
that  section  of  the  mine  was  obliged  to  visit  the  smithy  at 
least  once  during  working  hours.  Thus  it  became  a  great 
news  centre,  and  offered  temptations  to  many  of  its  visitors 
to  linger  long  after  their  business  wiis  finished. 

After  pointing  out  to  Derrick  the  several  places  at  which 
his  services  would  be  required,  the  mine  boss  left  him,  and 
the  boy  found  himself  fully  launched  on  his  new  career. 

He  soon  discovered  that  Harry  Mule  knew  much  more  of 


Introducing  Harry,  the  Bumping -mule.        49 

the  business  than  tie  did,  and  by  allowing  him  to  have  his 
own  way,  and  go  where  he  thought  best.  Derrick  got  along 
with  very  few  mistakes.  Among  the  miners  upon  whom 
he  had  to  attend  he  found  brawny  Tom  Evert,  stripped 
to  the  waist,  lying  on  his  side,  and  working  above  his  head, 
but  bringing  down  the  coal  in  glistening  showers  with  each 
sturdy  blow  of  his  pick.  When  he  saw  Derrick  he  paused 
in  his  work  long  enough  to  exchange  a  cherry  greeting  with 
him  and  to  dash  the  perspiration  from  his  eyes  with  the 
back  of  his  grimy  hand ;  then  at  it  he  went  again  with  re- 
doubled energy. 

At  the  end  of  one  of  the  headings  Derrick  found  an- 
other acquaintance  in  the  person  of  Monk  Tooley.  He 
scowled  when  he  saw  the  new  driver,  and  growled  out  that 
he'd  better  look  sharp  and  see  to  it  he  was  never  kept  wait- 
ing for  cars,  or  it  would  be  the  worse  for  him. 

Twice  Derrick  started  to  leave  this  place,  and  each  time 
the  miner  called  him  back  on  some  trivial  pretext.  The  boy 
could  not  see,  nor  did  he  suspect,  what  the  man  was  doing, 
but  as  he  turned  away  for  the  third  time.  Monk  Tooley 
sprang  past  him  with  a  shout,  and  ran  down  the  heading. 
Derrick  did  not  hear  what  he  said,  but  turning  to  look  be- 
hind him,  he  saw  a  flash  of  fire,  and  had  barely  time  to 
throw  himself  face  downward,  behind  his  car,  when  he  was 
stunned  by  a  tremendous  explosion.  Directly  afterwards 
he  was  nearly  buried  beneath  an  avalanche  of  rock  and  coal. 


CHAPTER  y. 

ATTACKED    BY    ENEMIES,  AND    LOST    IN   THE    MINE. 

ALTHOUGH  Derrick  was  terribly  frightened  by  the 
•  explosion,  and  considerably  bruised  by  the  shower  of 
rocks  and  coal  that  followed  it,  the  car  had  so  protected  him 
that  he  was  not  seriously  hurt.  Had  his  mule  started  for- 
ward the  heavily  loaded  car  must  have  run  over  and  killed 
him.  Fortunately  Harry  was  too  experienced  a  miner  to 
allow  such  a  trifling  thing  as  a  blast  to  disturb  his  equa- 
nimity, especially  as  the  two  false  starts  already  made  had 
placed  him  at  some  little  distance  from  it.  To  be  sure,  he 
had  shaken  his  head  at  the  flying  bits  of  coal,  and  had  even 
kicked  out  viciously  at  one  large  piece  that  fell  near  his 
heels.  The  iron-shod  hoof  had  shattered  the  big  lump,  and 
sent  its  fragments  flying  over  Derrick,  but  in  the  darkness 
and  confusion  the  boy  thought  it  was  only  part  of  the  ex 
plosion,  and  was  thankful  that  matters  were  no  worse. 

As  Derrick  cleared  himself  from  the  mass  of  rubbish  that 
had  fallen  on  him,  and  staggered  to  his  feet,  he  was  nearly 
suffocated  by  the  dense  clouds  of  powder- smoke  from  the 
blast.  He  was  also  in  utter  darkness,  both  his  lamp  and  that 
of  Harry  Mule  having  been  blown  out.     In  his  inexperience 


Attacked  by  Enemies,  and  Lost  in  the  Mijze.    51 

he  had  not  thought  to  provide  matches  before  entering  the 
mine,  and  now  he  found  himself  in  a  darkness  more  dense 
than  any  he  had  ever  dreamed  of,  without  any  means  of 
procuring  a  light.  His  heart  grew  heavy  within  him  as  he 
realized  his  situation,  for  he  had  no  idea  whether  the  miner 
who  had  played  so  cruel  and  dangerous  a  trick  upon  him 
would  return  or  not. 

An  impatient  movement  on  the  part  of  Harry  Mule  sug- 
gested a  plan  to  him.  Casting  off  the  chain  by  which  the 
mule  was  attached  to  the  car,  and  holding  the  end  in  his 
hand,  he  said,  "  Go  on,  Harry,  and  take  me  out  of  this  place." 
At  this  command  the  intelligent  animal  started  off  tow- 
ards the  junction  as  unhesitatingly  as  though  surrounded  by 
brightest  daylight,  and  Derrick  followed. 

They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  met  Monk  Tooley, 
leisurely  returning  to  the  scene  of  his  labors. 

"  Hello  !  Mr.  Mule  -  driver,"  he  shouted,  '^  what  are  you 
a-doing  here  in  de  dark,  an'  how  do  yer  like  mining  far  as 
ye've  got  ?  Been  studying  de  effect  of  blarsts,  and  a-testing 
of  'em  by  pussunal  experience?" 

Derrick  felt  a  great  lump  rising  in  his  throat,  and  bitter 
thoughts  and  words  crowded  each  other  closely  in  his  mind. 
He  knew,  however,  that  the  man  before  him  was  as  greatly 
his  superior  in  wordy  strife  as  in  bodily  strength,  so  he 
simply  said, 

"  The  next  time  you  try  to  kill  me  you'd  better  take  some 
surer  means  of  doing  it." 

"  Kill  you  !     Who  says  I  wanted  to  kill  you  ?"  demanded 


5  2      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

the  miner,  fiercely,  as  he  stopped  and  glared  at  the  boy. 
"  Didn't  I  holler  to  ye  to  run  ?  Didn't  I  give  yer  fair  warn- 
in'  that  I  was  shootin'  a  blarst  %  Didn't  I  ?  Course  I  did, 
and  yer  didn't  pay  no  'tention  to  it.  Oh  no,  sonny  !  'twon't 
do.  Ye  mustn't  talk  'bout  killin'  down  in  dese  workin's, 
cause  'twon't  be  'lowed.  Come  back  now,  an'  git  my  wagon. 
Here's  a  light  for  yer,  but  don't  let  me  hear  no  more  talk 
'bout  killin,'  or  ye  may  have  a  chance  to  wish  yer  was  dead 
long  before  yer  really  is." 

Derrick  made  no  reply  to  this,  but  turning  Harry  Mule 
about,  they  went  back  after  the  car.  He  was  convinced  that 
this  man  was  his  bitter  and  unscrupulous  enemy,  and  made 
up  his  mind  that  he  must  be  constantly  on  his  guard  against 
him.  He  did  not  tell  anybody  of  this  startling  incident  of 
his  first  day's  experience  in  the  mine  for  a  long  time  after- 
wards ;  as,  upon  thinking  it  over,  he  realized  that  the  peril, 
which  he  had  so  happily  escaped  might  readily  be  charged 
to  his  own  carelessness. 

At  lunch  time  he  let  Harry  Mule  make  his  own  way 
back  to  the  mine  stable  for  oats  and  water.  He  had  been 
told  by  the  mine  boss  that  the  knowing  animal  would  not 
only  do  this,  but  would  afterwards  return  to  his  place  of 
duty  when  started  towards  it  by  one  of  the  stable-boys. 
While  the  mule  was  gone,  his  young  driver  went  into 
the  blacksmith's  shop  to  eat  his  own  lunch  in  company 
with  Job  Taskar,  who  had  invited  him  to  do  so.  Job 
questioned  Derrick  closely  as  to  his  acquaintance  among 
the  men  and  boys  of  the  collierv,  and  asked  particularly  in 


Attacked  by  Eiiemies,  and  Lost  in  the  Mine.    53 

regard  to  his  likings  or  dislikings  of  the  several  over- 
seers. 

"  I  hear  thee's  a  great  friend  o'  t'  mine  boss,"  said  Job. 

"  Not  at  all,"  answered  Derrick.  "  Mr.  Jones  was  a  friend 
of  my  father's,  but  I  hardly  know  him." 

^'  All  says  thee's  boss's  favorite." 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know  why  they  should.  Of  course 
it  was  good  of  him  to  give  me  a  job ;  but  he  had  to  get 
somebody  to  drive  the  mule.  It  doesn't  seem  to  me  that 
I've  got  any  easier  place  than  anybody  else." 

Here  Derrick  put  one  hand  up  to  his  badly  aching  head, 
which  had  been  bruised  by  a  flying  chunk  from  Monk  Too- 
ley's  blast. 

Noting  the  movement.  Job  asked  what  was  the  matter, 
for  although  he  had  heard  about  the  blast  from  Monk  Too- 
ley,  he  wanted  to  learn  what  the  boy  thought  of  it. 

"  I  got  hit  by  a  falling  chunk,"  replied  Derrick,  guard- 
edly. 

"Humph!"  growled  Job;  "better  keep  clear  o'  they 
chunks.  One  on  'em  might  hit  ye  once  too  often  some 
time." 

Job  held  no  more  conversation  with  the  boy,  but  lighted 
his  pipe,  and  sat  at  one  side  of  the  forge,  scowling  and  smok- 
ing. Derrick  also  kept  silence,  as  he  sat  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  forge,  rubbing  his  aching  head  with  a  grimy 
hand. 

While  they  sat  thus,  several  miners  dropped  in  for  a 
smoke  and  a  chat.     They  all  looked  curiously  at  Derrick, 


54      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

but  none  of  them  spoke  to  him.  Thus  neglected,  he  felt 
very  unhappy  and  uncomfortable,  and  was  glad  when  the 
jingling  of  Harry  Mule's  harness  outside  gave  notice  that  it 
was  again  time  to  go  to  work. 

The  rest  of  the  day  passed  uneventfully  and  monotonous- 
ly, for,  with  the  exception  of  burly  Tom  Evert,  who  gave 
the  lad  a  cheery  word  whenever  he  passed  him,  nobody 
spoke  to  him.  Even  Harry  Mule  seemed  to  realize  that  his 
young  driver  was  not  having  a  very  pleasant  time,  and 
rubbed  his  nose  sympathetically  against  his  shoulder,  as 
much  as  to  say,  "  I'm  sorry  for  you,  and  I'll  stand  by  you 
even  if  nobody  else  does." 

At  last,  in  some  mysterious  way,  everybody  seemed  to 
know,  all  at  once,  that  it  was  time  to  quit  work,  and  Harry 
Mule  knew  it  as  quickly  as  anybody.  Before  Derrick  no- 
ticed that  the  miners  had  stopped  work,  this  remarkable  ani- 
mal, having  just  been  unhitched  from  a  car,  threw  up  his 
head,  uttered  a  prolonged  and  ear-rasping  bray,  and  started 
off  on  a  brisk  trot,  with  a  tremendous  clatter  and  jingling 
of  chains,  towards  his  stable. 

The  door-boys  heard  him  coming,  opened  their  doors  to 
let  him  pass,  closed  them  after  him,  and  started  on  a  run 
for  the  foot  of  the  slope. 

Of  course  Derrick  followed  his  charge  as  fast  as  possible, 
calling,  as  he  ran,  "  Whoa,  Harry  !  Whoa  !  Stop  that  mule, 
he's  running  away !"  Neither  Harry  nor  anybody  else  paid 
the  slightest  attention  to  him,  and  when  he  finally  reached 
tlie   stable   he   found  his  mule  already   there,  exchanging 


Attacked  by  Enemies ^  and  Lost  in  the  Mine,    55 

squeals  and  kicks  with  several  other  bumping  mules  that 
had  come  in  from  other  parts  of  the  mine. 

Then  he  knew  that  it  was  really  quitting-time,  and  went 
to  work,  as  quickly  as  his  inexperience  would  allow,  to  rub 
Harry  down,  water  and  feed  him,  and  make  him  comforta- 
ble for  the  night.  Everybody  else  who  had  stable-work  to 
do  finished  it  before  he,  and  when  at  last  he  felt  at  liberty 
to  leave  the  mine  and  start  towards  the  upper  world  and 
the  fresh  air  he  longed  so  ardently  to  breathe  again,  he  was 
alone. 

Derrick  found  his  way  without  difficulty  to  the  large  cham- 
ber at  the  foot  of  the  slope.  There,  as  he  did  not  see  any 
cars  ready  to  go  up,  he  turned  towards  the  travelling-road, 
with  the  intention  of  climbing  the  steep  stairway  he  had  de- 
scended that  morning. 

Suddenly  there  arose  cries  of  "  There  he  is !  There  he 
is!     Head  him  off!" 

Before  the  startled  lad  knew  what  was  about  to  happen, 
he  was  surrounded  by  a  score  of  sooty-faced  boys.  Cutting 
him  off  from  the  travelling-road,  these  boys  pushed  him, 
in  spite  of  his  opposition  and  protests,  into  a  far  corner  of 
the  chamber,  where,  with  his  back  against  the  wall,  he  made 
a  stand  and  demanded  what  they  wanted  of  him. 

"  A  treat !  a  treat !"  shouted  several. 

Then  room  was  made  for  one  who  seemed  to  exercise  au- 
thority over  them,  and  who,  as  he  stepped  forward.  Derrick 
recognized  with  surprise  as  Bill  Tooley,  ex-mule-driver,  and 
now  breaker  boy. 


56      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"What  are  you  dowu  here  for,  and  what  does  all  this 
mean,  Bill?"  asked  Derrick,  as  calmly  as  he  could. 

"  It  means,"  answered  Bill,  putting  his  disagreeable  face 
very  close  to  Derrick's,  "  dat  yer've  got  ter  pay  fer  comin' 
down  inter  de  mine,  an'  fer  takin'  my  mule,  when  I  told 
yer  not  ter ;  dat's  what  it  means.  An'  it  means  dat  we're 
goin'  ter  initerate  yer  inter  de  order  of  '  Young  Sleepers,' 
what  every  boy  in  de  mine  has  got  ter  belong  ter." 

Derrick  had  heard  of  this  order  of  "  Young  Sleepers," 
and  knew  it  to  be  composed  of  the  very  worst  young  rascals 
in  the  coal  region.  He  knew  that  they  were  up  to  all  kinds 
of  wickedness,  and  that  most  of  the  petty  crimes  of  the 
community  were  charged  to  them.  In  an  instant  he  made 
up  his  mind  that  he  would  rather  suifer  almost  anything 
than  become  a  member  of  such  a  gang. 

While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through  his  mind  the 
cry  of."  A  treat!  a  treat!"  was  again  raised,  and  Bill  Too- 
ley  again  addressed  Derrick,  saying, 

"  Ter  pay  yer  way  inter  de  mine,  de  fellers  says  yer  must 
set  up  a  kag  er  beer.  Ter  pay  fer  drivin'  my  mule,  I  say 
yer  got  ter  take  a  lickin,'  an'  after  that  we'll  initerate  yer." 

Now,  both  Derrick's  father  and  mother  had  taught  him 
to  abhor  liquor  in  every  form ;  so  to  the  boy's  first  proposi- 
tion he  promptly  answered, 

"  I  haven't  got  any  money,  and  couldn't  afford  to  buy  a 
keg  of  beer,  even  if  I  wanted  to.  I  don't  want  to,  because 
I'm  a  blue  ribbon,  and  wouldn't  buy  even  a  glass  of  beer  if 
I  had  all  the  money  in  the  world.    I  won't  join  your  society 


Attacked  by  Enemies^  and  Lost  in  the  Mine,    57 

either,  and  I  don't  see  how  you  can  initiate  me  when  I 
don't  choose  to  become  a  member.  As  for  a  licking,  it'll 
take  more  than  you  to  give  it  to  me.  Bill  Tooley !" 

With  these  bold  words  the  young  mule -driver  made  a 
spring  at  his  chief  tormentor,  in  a  desperate  effort  to  break 
through  the  surrounding  group  of  boys.  In  the  distance 
he  saw  the  twinkling  lights  of  some  miners,  and  thought 
if  he  could  only  reach  them  they  would  afford  him  pro- 
tection. 

Derrick's  defiant  speech  for  an  instant  paralyzed  his  hear- 
ers with  its  very  boldness ;  but  as  he  sprang  at  Bill  Tooley 
they  also  made  a  rush  at  him  with  howls  of  anger.  He 
succeeded  in  hitting  their  leader  one  staggering  blow,  but 
was  quickly  overpowered  by  numbers  and  flung  to  the 
ground,  where  the  young  savages  beat  and  kicked  him  so 
cruelly  that  he  thought  they  were  about  to  kill  him. 

He  tried  to  scream  for  help,  but  could  not  utter  a  sound, 
and  the  miners  who  passed  on  their  way  to  the  slope 
thought  the  fracas  was  only  a  quarrel  among  some  of  the 
boys  and  paid  no  attention  to  it. 

At  length  Bill  Tooley  ordered  the  boys  to  cease  from 
pummelling  their  victim,  and  stooping  over  him,  tied  a 
dirty  cloth  over  his  eyes ;  then  he  gave  a  whispered  order, 
and  several  of  the  boys,  lifting  the  helpless  lad  by  his  head 
and  feet,  bore  him  away. 

After  carrying  him  w^hat  seemed  to  Derrick  an  intermi- 
nable distance,  and  passing  through  a  number  of  doors,  as 
he  could  tell  by  hearing  them  loudly  opened  and  closed,  his 


58       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Miiies. 

bearers  suddenly  dropped  him  on  the  hard  ground.  Then 
Bill  Tooley's  voice  said, 

"  Yer'll  lie  dere  now  till  yer  make  up  yer  mind  ter  jine 
de  Young  Sleepers.  Den  yer  can  come  an'  let  me  know,  an' 
I'll  attend  ter  yer  initeration.  Till  then  yer'll  stay  where 
yer  are,  if  it's  a  thousand  years;  fer  no  one'll  come  a-nigh 
yer  an'  yer  can't  find  de  way  out." 

While  Bill  was  thus  talking  the  other  boys  quietly  slipped 
away.  As  he  finished  he  also  moved  off,  so  softly  that  Der- 
rick did  not  hear  the  sound  of  his  retreating  footsteps.  It 
was  not  until  some  minutes  had  passed  that  he  realized  that 
he  had  been  left,  and  was  alone. 

Meantime  those  who  had  thus  abandoned  their  victim  to 
the  horrors  of  black  solitude,  in  what  to  him  was  an  un- 
known part  of  the  mine,  were  gathered  together  at  no  great 
distance  from  him.  There  they  waited  to  gloat  over  the 
cries  that  they  hoped  he  would  utter  as  soon  as  he  realized 
that  he  was  abandoned.  In  this  they  were  disappointed, 
for  though  they  lingered  half  an  hour  not  a  sound  did  they 
hear;  then  two  of  the  boldest  among  them  decided  to  take 
a  look  at  their  prisoner.  Shielding  the  single  lamp  that 
lighted  their  steps  so  that  its  rays  should  not  be  seen  at  any 
great  distance,  they  crept  cautiously  to  where  they  had  left 
him. 

He  was  gone! 

This  had  not  been  expected,  and  with  an  ill-defined  feel- 
ing of  dread  they  hurried  back  to  the  others  and  made  their 
report. 


Attacked  by  Enemies,  and  Lost  in  the  Mine.    6i 

"  Oh,  well,  let  him  go  !"  exclaimed  Bill  Tooley,  brutally. 
"  'Twon't  hurt  him  to  spend  a  while  in  de  gangway.  Let's 
go  up  to  supper,  and  afterwards  come  down  an'  hunt  him." 

As  none  of  them  dared  to  object  to  any  proposal  made 
by  the  bully,  the  whole  gang  of  begrimed  and  evil-minded 
young  savages  hurried  to  the  foot  of  the  slope.  Here  they 
tumbled  into  a  car,  and  in  a  few  minutes  were  drawn  up  to 
the  surface,  where  they  scattered  towards  their  respective 
homes  and  waiting  suppers. 

Paul  Evert,  who  ever  since  work  had  ceased  in  the  break- 
er, more  than  an  hour  before,  had  lingered  near  the  moutli 
of  the  slope,  waiting  for  the  appearance  of  his  friend,  vent- 
ured to  ask  one  of  them  if  he  had  seen  Derrick. 

"Don't  know  nothing  about  him,"  was  the  reply,  as, 
greatly  alarmed  to  find  the  lad  whom  he  had  helped  to  per- 
secute already  made  an  object  of  inquiry,  the  Young  Sleep- 
er hurried  away. 

Bill  Tooley  had  overheard  Paul's  question,  and  stepping 
up  to  him,  he  said,  "  Look  a-here,  young  feller,  yer  ain't  got 
no  call  as  I  knows  on  to  be  a  meddling  wid  what  goes  on  in 
de  mine  and  don't  concern  you.  I  don't  mind  tellin'  yer, 
though,  that  yer  butty's  doin'  overwork,  and  mebbe  won't 
come  up  all  night.  I  heerd  one  of  de  bosses  orderin'  him 
to  it." 

Although  Paul  thought  this  somewhat  strange,  he  knew 
that  the  miners  frequently  stayed  down  to  do  overwork,  and 
was  much  relieved  at  such  a  plausible  explanation  of  his 
friend's  non-appearance.     On  his  way  home  he  stopped  to 


62       Derrick  Sterlijig:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

tell  Mrs.  Sterling  what  he  had  heard.  He  found  her  very 
anxious,  and  just  about  to  go  out  and  make  inquiries  con- 
cerning her  boj.  The  information  that  Paul  brought  re- 
lieved her  mind  somewhat,  and  thanking  him  for  it,  she 
turned  back  into  the  house  with  a  sigh,  and  gave  little  Helen 
her  supper,  at  the  same  time  setting  aside  a  liberal  portion 
for  Derrick  when  he  should  come. 

Until  nearly  ten  o'clock  she  waited,  frequently  going  to 
the  door  to  look  and  listen ;  then  she  could  bear  the  sus- 
pense no  longer.  Throwing  a  shawl  over  her  head,  and  bid- 
ding Helen  remain  where  she  was  for  a  few  minutes,  the 
anxious  mother  started  to  go  to  the  house  of  the  mine  boss 
to  gain  certain  information  of  her  boy.  As  she  opened  her 
own  front  door,  something  that  she  saw  caused  her  to  utter 
a  cry  and  stand  trembling  on  the  threshold. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    SECRET   MEETING. — A   PLUNGE    DOWN   AN    AIR-SHAFT. 

WHAT  Mrs.  Sterling  saw  was  her  own  son  Derrick, 
who  was  just  about  to  enter  the  house.  As  the  light 
from  behind  her  shone  full  upon  him,  he  presented  a  sorry 
spectacle,  and  one  well  calculated  to  draw  forth  an  exclama- 
tion from  an  anxious  mother.  Hatless  and  coatless,  his  face 
bruised,  swollen,  and  so  covered  with  blood  and  coal-dust 
that  its  features  were  almost  unrecognizable,  he  could  not 
well  have  presented  a  more  striking  contrast  to  the  clean, 
cheerful  lad  whom  she  had  sent  down  into  the  mine  with 
a  kiss  and  a  blessing  that  very  morning. 

"  Why,  Derrick !"  she  exclaimed,  the  moment  she  made 
sure  that  it  was  really  he.  "  What  has  happened  to  you  ? 
has  there  been  an  accident  ?  They  said  you  were  kept  down 
for  overwork.  Tell  me  the  worst  at  once,  dear !  Are  you 
badly  hurt?" 

"  No,  indeed,  mother,"  answered  the  boy  in  as  cheerful  a 
tone  as  he  could  command.  "  I  am  not  much  hurt,  only 
bruised  and  banged  a  little  by  a  blast  that  I  carelessly  stayed 
too  close  to.  A  little  hot  water  and  soap  will  put  me  all 
right  again  after  I've  had  some  supper ;  but,  if  you  love 


64       Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

me,  mother,  give  me  something  to  eat  quickly,  for  I'm  most 
starved." 

By  this  time  they  were  within  the  house,  and  as  Mrs. 
Sterling  hastened  to  make  ready  the  supper  she  had  saved 
for  Derrick,  he  dropped  into  a  chair  utterly  exhausted.  He 
might  well  be  exhausted,  for  what  he  had  passed  through 
and  suffered  since  leaving  home  that  morning  could  not 
have  been  borne  by  a  boy  of  weaker  constitution  or  less 
strength  of  will.  He  was  greatly  revived  by  two  cups  of 
strong  tea  and  the  food  set  before  him.  After  satisfying 
his  hunger  he  went  to  his  own  room,  and  took  a  bath  in 
water  as  hot  as  he  could  bear  it,  and  washed  his  cuts  and 
bruises  with  white  castile-soap,  a  piece  of  which  Mrs.  Ster- 
ling always  managed  to  keep  on  hand  for  such  emergencies. 
It  was  fortunate  for  her  peace  of  mind  that  the  fond  moth- 
er did  not  see  the  cruel  bruises  that  covered  her  boy's  body 
from  head  to  foot. 

The  bath  refreshed  him  so  much,  and  so  loosened  the 
joints  that  were  beginning  to  feel  very  stiff  and  painful, 
that  Derrick  believed  he  was  able,  before  going  to  bed,  to 
perform  the  one  duty  still  remaining  to  be  done.  Mrs. 
Sterling  thought  he  had  gone  to  bed,  and  was  greatly  sur- 
prised to  see  him  come  from  his  room  fully  dressed.  When 
he  told  her  that  he  must  go  out  again  to  deliver  an  impor- 
tant message  to  the  mine  boss,  she  begged  him  to  wait  until 
morning,  or  at  least  to  let  her  carry  it  for  him.  Assuring 
her  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  deliver 
the  message  himself  that  very  night,  and  saying  that  he 


The  Secret  Meeting,  65 

would  be  back  within  an  hour,  Derrick  kissed  his  mother 
and  went  out. 

On  the  street  he  met  with  but  one  person,  a  miner  hurry- 
ing towards  the  slope,  to  whom  he  did  not  speak,  and  who 
he  thought  did  not  recognize  him. 

Mr.  Jones  had  closed  his  house  for  the  night,  and  was 
about  to  retire,  when  he  was  startled  by  a  knock  at  the  outer 
door.  Recent  events  had  rendered  him  so  suspicious  and 
cautious  that  he  stepped  to  his  desk  and  took  from  it  a 
revolver,  which  he  held  in  his  hand  as  he  stood  near  the 
door,  and  without  opening  it,  called  out, 

"Who's  there?  and  what  do  you  want  at  this  time  of 
night  ?" 

As  softly  as  he  could,  and  yet  make  himself  heard.  Der- 
rick answered, 

"  It  is  I,  sir.  Derrick  Sterling,  and  I  have  got  something 
important  to  tell  you." 

At  this  answer  a  man  who  had  stolen  up  behind  Derrick, 
unperceived  by  him  in  the  darkness,  slipped  away  with 
noiseless  but  hurried  footsteps. 

"Is  anybody  with  you?"  demanded  the  mine  boss,  with- 
out opening  the  door. 

"No,  sir;  I  am  all  alone." 

Then  the  door  was  cautiously  opened.  Derrick  was  bidden 
to  step  inside  quickly,  and  it  was  immediately  closed  again 
and  bolted.  Leading  the  way  into  the  library,  the  mine 
boss  said,  not  unkindly,  but  somewhat  impatiently, 

"  "Well,  Sterling,  what  brings  you  here  at  this  time  of 


66      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

night  ?  working  boys  should  be  in  bed  and  asleep  before 
this." 

While  Derrick  is  explaining  to  the  mine  boss  why  he  is 
not  abed  and  asleep,  and  giving  his  reasons  for  disturbing 
him  at  that  late  hour,  we  will  return  to  the  mine,  and  see 
for  ourselves  what  befell  him  there,  after  the  events  nar- 
rated in  the  last  chapter. 

The  Young  Sleepers  had  left  him  blindfolded,  alone, 
and  in  total  darkness,  lying  on  the  floor  of  an  unfamiliar 
gangway.  The  boy's  first  impulse,  when  he  realized  that 
liis  persecutors  had  departed  and  left  him  alone,  was  to  tear 
the  bandage  from  his  eyes  and  fling  it  far  from  him.  Of 
course  this  did  not  enable  him  to  see  anything,  but  he  felt 
more  free  now  that  the  cloth  was  removed,  and  was  thank- 
ful they  had  not  bound  his  wrists  so  that  he  could  not  have 
reached  it. 

His  next  impulse  was  to  shout  for  help,  but  an  instant's 
reflection  decided  him  not  to  do  so.  It  was  not  at  all  prob- 
able that  anybody  except  his  tormentors  would  hear  him, 
and  they  would  only  rejoice  at  this  evidence  of  his  distress. 
He  knew  that  all  his  shoutings  would  not  bring  them  to  him 
until  they  were  ready  to  come,  and  he  felt  that  he  had  too 
little  strength  left  to  waste  it  thus  uselessly. 

He  could  not  bear  to  remain  where  he  was  without  at 
least  making  an  attempt  to  help  himself ;  so  he  rose  to  his 
feet,  and  feeling  his  way  very  cautiously,  began  to  walk  along 
the  gangway.  Although  he  did  not  know  it,  he  involun- 
tarily turned  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  place  where 


The  Secret  Meeting.  67 

Bill  Tooley  and  his  companions  were  waiting  and  listening 
to  hear  from  him. 

For  some  time  Derrick  expected  to  reach  a  door,  behind 
which  he  should  find  a  boy,  or  to  meet  a  train  of  mule-cars, 
or  a  miner  who  would  lead  him  to  the  foot  of  the  slope. 
At  length,  however,  when  he  had  walked  a  long  distance, 
and  yet  found  none  of  these,  his  courage  began  to  leave  him 
and  a  wild  terror  to  take  its  place. 

Suddenly,  like  a  flash,  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  not 
struck  any  rails  in  walking,  nor  felt  any  indications  of  a  car- 
track.  Filled  with  a  new  dread,  he  stooped  down,  and  with 
trembling  hands  felt  every  inch  of  the  wet  floor  from  one 
side  of  the  gangway  to  the  other.  There  was  no  sign  of  a 
track,  and  he  now  knew,  what  he  had  already  suspected, 
that  it  had  been  torn  up,  and  that  he  was  in  an  abandoned 
gangway,  which  another  human  being  might  not  enter  for 
years. 

This  revelation  of  the  full  horror  of  his  situation  was  too 
much  for  the  overstrained  nerves  of  the  poor  lad.  He 
uttered  a  loud  cry,  which  was  echoed  and  re-echoed  with 
startling  distinctness  through  the  silent,  rock-walled  gallery, 
flung  himself  on  the  wet  floor,  and  burst  into  bitter  sob- 
bings. 

How  long  he  lay  there,  in  a  sort  of  semi-stupor  after  this 
first  outburst  of  his  despair,  he  had  no  means  of  knowing, 
but  he  was  finally  roused  into  an  attitude  of  eager  atten- 
tion by  what  sounded  like  a  distant  murmur  of  voices.  He 
sat  up,  and  then  sprang  to  his  feet,  rubbing  his  eyes  and  star- 


68      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

ing  in  a  bewildered  manner  into  the  darkness  of  the  gang- 
way ahead  of  him.  Did  he  see  a  light  only  a  few  paces 
before  him  ?  It  seemed  so.  Yet  he  was  not  sure,  for  it  was 
not  a  direct  ray,  as  from  a  lamp,  but  a  sort  of  dim,  flick- 
ering radiance  that  appeared  to  rise  from  the  very  floor 
almost  at  his  feet. 

For  several  minutes  Derrick  stared  at  it  incredulously, 
unable  to  fathom  the  mystery  of  its  appearance.  Was  it  a 
light  produced  by  human  agency,  or  was  it  one  of  those 
weird  illuminations  that  sometimes  arise  from  the  damp- 
ness and  foul  air  of  old  mines?  He  stepped  towards  it 
to  satisfy  himself  of  its  true  character,  and  as  he  did  so  was 
confronted  by  a  danger  so  terrible  that,  although  he  had 
escaped  it,  his  heart  almost  stopped  beating  as  he  realized 
its  full  extent. 

By  the  vague  light  proceeding  from  it  he  saw  a  pit-hole 
occupying  the  entire  width  of  the  gangway,  and  apparent- 
ly of  great  depth.  Around  its  edge  had  been  built  a  barrier 
of  logs  breast-high.  Through  age  these  had  so  decayed 
and  fallen  that,  had  Derrick  continued  a  few  steps  further 
on  his  way,  instead  of  stopping  to  indulge  his  grief,  he  must 
have  walked  into  the  pit  and  fallen  to  the  bottom. 

The  sound  of  voices  that  he  had  heard  came  up  through 
this  opening,  and  he  was  just  about  to  call  for  help,  to  who- 
ever was  down  there,  when  his  attention  was  arrested  by  one 
voice  louder  and  harsher  than  the  others.  It  sounded  like 
that  of  Job  Taskar,  the  blacksmith,  and  it  said,  as  though  in 
settlement  of  some  dispute, 


The  Secret  Meeting.  69 

"  I  don't  care  a  rap  who  does  it,  or  how  it  is  done,  Jones 
must  be  put  out  of  the  way  somehow  or  other." 

Another  voice,  which  was  hardly  audible,  asked,  "  What 
about  the  kid  ?" 

To  this  came  answer  in  a  voice  which  there  was  no  mis- 
taking for  other  than  Monk  Tooley's, 

"  De  Young  Sleepers  is  lookin'  arter  him.  Dey're  givin' 
him  a  big  scare.  Blinded  him,  and  toted  him  back  and 
f or'ard,  going  in  and  out  t'old  gangway  door  between  whiles 
to  make  him  think  he  was  a  long  ways  off.  Den  dey  left 
him  just  inside  t'old  gangway,  nigh  de  slope.  He  thinks 
he's  at  de  far  end  of  nowhere  by  dis  time.  Dey'U  soon 
drive  him  from  de  mine." 

"  If  they  don't,  others  will,"  said  Job  Taskar's  voice. 
"We  don't  want  no  boss's  pets  spying  round  this  mine. 
Now,  lads,  we'll  get  out  of  this.  Remember,  next  regular 
meeting's  on  the  27th.   We'll  fix  then  how  all's  to  be  done." 

There  was  a  confused  murmuring  after  this,  but  Derrick 
could  make  nothing  out  of  it,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  strong 
draught  of  air  sucked  down  the  hole  over  which  he  hung, 
and  the  dim  light  disappeared.  As  it  did  so,  the  poor  lad 
gave  one  wild  cry  for  help.  It  only  reached  the  ears  of  the 
last  of  those  below  as  he  was  leaving  the  chamber  in  which 
they  had  held  their  meeting.  To  him  it  sounded  so  awful 
and  supernatural  that  he  was  greatly  frightened,  and  hur- 
ried on  after  the  others,  leaving  the  door  open  behind  him, 
whereby  the  strong  draught  down  the  air-shaft  was  con- 
tinued. 


JO      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

For  a  few  minutes  Derrick  thought  he  was  indeed  lost, 
and  gave  himself  up  to  despair.  Then  he  gradually  re- 
called the  words  of  Monk  Tooley  that  referred  to  himself, 
and  ren^teived  a  gleam  of  hope  from  them.  If  indeed  he  had 
been  le.S&  just  inside  the  door  of  an  old  gangway,  near  the 
foot  of  the  slope,  might  he  not  find  his  way  back  to  it  and 
escape  ?  He  shuddered  as  he  thought  of  the  long  w^alk 
through  the  awful  darkness,  but  he  was  no  better  off  where 
he  was.  So,  with  much  thinking  and  hesitation,  he  finally 
started  back  on  the  road  he  had  come,  carefully  feeling  his 
way  and  making  but  slow  progress. 

He  thought  he  should  never  reach  the  end ;  but  at  last  he 
came  to  a  door,  beyond  which  he  heard  the  sound  of  human 
voices,  and  through  the  crevices  of  which  air  was  rushing 
outward.  Cautiously  he  pulled  it  open,  fearing  lest  some 
of  his  late  persecutors  might  be  waiting  to  seize  him.  The 
way  was  clear,  and  though  he  saw  several  lights  in  the  dis- 
tance, none  was  near  him.  Gently  closing  the  door,  he  dart- 
ed towards  the  travelling-road  down  which  he  had  come  that 
morning,  and  entered  it  without  having  been  observed. 

The  climb  up  the  gigantic  stairway  was  a  tedious  one  for 
the  weary  lad,  and  called  for  such  frequent  rests  that  it 
occupied  him  nearly  an  hour.  When  he  finally  reached  the 
top  he  had  barely  strength  enough  left  to  drag  himself  home. 

This  was  the  story  that  Derrick  Sterling  told  the  assistant 
superintendent  in  the  library  of  the  latter's  house  that  night. 

Mr.  Jones  listened  to  it  with  the  gravest  and  most  earnest 
attention,  only  interrupting  now  and  then  to  ask  a  question 


PAUL'S  LIGHT  SHOWED    NOTHING    IN    FRONT    SAVE    THE    YAWNING    MOUTH 
OF   THE   SHAFT. 


The  Secret  Meeting,  73 

concerning  some  point  that  was  not  made  quite  clear,  or  to 
give  utterance  to  an  expression  of  sympathy  as  Derrick  re- 
lated some  of  his  sufferings. 

The  brave  lad  had  not  intended  to  say  anything  regarding 
his  treatment  by  the  Young  Sleepers,  but  was  obliged  to  do 
so  in  answer  to  questions  as  to  how  he  happened  to  be  left 
in  the  old  gangway. 

When  he  had  finished,  the  mine  boss  grasped  him  warmly 
by  the  hand,  and  said, 

"  My  boy,  by  this  timely  information,  so  miraculously  ob- 
tained, you  have  doubtless  given  me  a  chance  for  my  life 
which  I  should  not  otherwise  have  had.  Your  adventures 
have  been  most  thrilling,  and  your  deliverance  wonderful. 
Now  go  home  and  to  bed ;  you  must  not  think  of  going  to 
work  again  until  I  give  you  permission  to  do  so."  ^ 

Once  more  Derrick  found  his  mother  anxiously  awaiting 
his  return.  He  told  her  that  the  mine  boss  had  been  very 
kind  to  him,  and  that  as  he  was  not  going  to  work  the  next 
day  she  need  not  waken  him  in  the  morning.  Then  he 
threw  himself,  all  dressed  as  he  was,  upon  his  bed,  and  while 
trying  to  relate  to  her  some  of  the  events  of  his  first  day  in 
the  mine,  fell  into  a  profound  sleep. 

Meantime  other  events,  equally  thrilling  with  those  just 
related,  were  taking  place  in  the  mine. 

Bill  Tooley's  brutal  disposition  was  mainly  the  result  of 
his  home  training  and  influences,  for  he  could  not  remem- 
ber having  had  a  single  gentle  or  kind  word  spoken  to  him 
in  all  his  stormy  life.     lu  spite  of  it  he  was  troubled  with 


74      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

some  prickings  of  conscience,  and  a  sort  of  pity  that  even- 
ing, as  he  reflected  upon  the  unhappy  condition  of  the  lad 
whom  he  had  left  to  wander  alone  amid  the  awful  blackness 
of  the  abandoned  gangway.  He  had  not  intended  to  do 
anything  so  cruel  as  this  when  he  first  left  Derrick  where 
he  did.  He  thought  the  boy  would  certainly  cry  out  for 
help,  and  after  allowing  him  to  suffer  thus  for  a  short  time 
he  meant  to  go  to  him  and  offer  to  release  him  upon  condi- 
tion of  his  joining  the  Young  Sleepers.  This  plan  had  been 
upset  by  Derrick's  disappearance,  and  then  it  was  more  to 
assert  his  authority  over  his  companions  than  with  the  idea 
of  inflicting  further  cruelty  upon  their  victim  that  he  had 
ordered  him  to  be  left  for  a  while.  Now  he  began  to  feel 
anxious  concerning  the  fate  of  the  lad,  and  eager  to  effect 
his  release. 

Feeling  thus,  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  an  uncomfortable 
supper  in  his  wretched  home,  filled  with  quarrelling  chil- 
dren, and  ruled  by  a  slatternly,  shrill- voiced  mother,  he  hur- 
ried out  to  try  and  induce  some  of  his  companions  to  ac- 
company him  down  into  the  mine  in  a  search  for  Derrick. 
He  had  some  difficulty  in  doing  this,  for  the  other  boys 
were  badly  frightened  by  what  had  taken  place,  and  dreaded 
to  return  into  the  mine.  It  was  more  than  an  hour  after 
he  started  out  before  he  had  persuaded  four  of  the  boldest 
among  them  to  join  him  in  the  proposed  search. 

As  this  little  party  gathered  at  the  mouth  of  the  slope, 
and  prepared  to  descend  in  a  car  that  was  about  to  start 
down  with  some  timbers  for  props,  a  timid  voice  said, 


The  Secret  Meeting,  75 

"  Can't  I  go  too,  Bill  %  Please  let  me  !  I  know  you  are 
going  to  look  for  Derrick.     Please,  Bill !" 

It  was  Paul  Evert,  who,  with  an  undefined  feeling  of 
dread  and  fear  for  the  safety  of  his  friend,  had  hung  on  the 
outskirts  of  various  groups  of  boys  in  the  village  street  until 
from  their  conversations  he  had  learned  the  whole  story. 
With  senses  sharpened  by  anxiety  and  love,  he  had  discov- 
ered that  Bill  Tooley  and  his  companions  were  going  in 
search  of  the  missing  lad.  Now,  with  his  father's  mine  cap 
bearing  its  tiny  lamp  on  his  head,  he  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  go  with  them. 

Bill  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then,  for  fear  lest  if 
he  refused  Paul  would  spread  the  story  of  what  he  had 
discovered,  or  perhaps,  moved  by  some  better  feeling,  he 
said,  "  Yes,  pile  in  if  yer  want  to,  dough  I  don't  see  what 
good  you  can  do." 

Overjoyed  to  receive  this  permission,  Paul  hastily  scram- 
bled into  the  car  just  as  it  began  to  move,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  was  landed  with  the  rest  at  the  foot  of  the  slope. 

Some  time  before  this  Derrick  had  emerged  from  the 
old  gangway,  and  turned  into  the  travelling-road,  up  which 
he  was  now  laboriously  making  his  way. 

There  did  not  happen  to  be  an  overseer  at  the  bottom  of 
the  slope  just  then,  and  to  the  one  or  two  men  who  ob- 
served them  the  presence  of  boys  in  the  mine  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night  was  too  common  to  attract  comment ; 
so  the  little  party  had  no  difficulty  in  entering  the  old 
gangway  without  being  noticed  or  questioned. 


76      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

For  some  reason  which  he  could  not  explain  Paul  had 
brought  with  him  a  new  clothes-line,  which  he  now  carried, 
coiled  and  hung  about  his  neck.  Bill  Tooley  took  the  lead, 
and  Paul,  with  the  aid  of  his  crutch,  hobbled  along  close 
after  him,  while  the  others  walked  fearfully  in  a  bunch  at 
some  little  distance  behind. 

They  had  not  gone  far  when  Bill  stooped  and  picked  up 
a  piece  of  cloth  from  the  ground. 

"  Here's  what  was  over  his  eyes,"  he  said,  "  an'  as  it's  a  bit 
furder  dan  where  we  left  'im,  it  shows  he's  gone  furder  in." 

The  boys  gazed  at  the  cloth  in  awe  -  struck  silence,  as 
though  it  were  something  to  be  dreaded  ;  and,  when  Bill 
called  out,  "  Come  on,  fellers,  yer  won't  never  find  nothing 
a-standin'  dere  like  a  lot  o'  balky  mules,"  they  followed  him 
even  more  reluctantly  than  before. 

Lighted  by  their  lamps,  they  made  far  more  rapid  prog- 
ress than  poor  Derrick  had  in  the  darkness,  and  soon  ap- 
proached the  place  where  he  had  discovered  the  dim,  re- 
flected light  above  the  mouth  of  the  old  air-shaft.  Just 
here  the  oil  in  their  leader's  lamp  began  to  give  out,  and  its 
flame  to  burn  with  a  waning  and  uncertain  light. 

All  at  once  a  strong  draught  of  air  extinguished  it  entirely. 
He  took  a  step  forward  in  the  darkness  towards  a  log  which 
he  had  barely  seen,  and  thought  might  be  Derrick  Sterling 
lying  down.  Then  came  a  terrible  cry,  and  Paul's  light 
showed  nothing  in  front  of  him  save  the  yawning  mouth 
of  the  shaft  down  which  Bill  Tooley  had  pitched  headlong ! 


CHAPTER  VII. 
A  cripple's  brave  deed. 

As  Bill  Tooley  thus  met  the  fate  Derrick  had  so  narrow- 
ly escaped,  and  the  Young  Sleepers  who  followed  him 
were  left  without  a  leader,  they  were  thrown  into  a  sad  state 
of  confusion.  Two  of  them  started  to  run  back,  another 
threw  himself  on  the  floor  and  burst  into  loud  lamentations, 
while  the  fourth  stood  motionless  and  silent  from  fear.  Of 
them  all,  only  Paul  Evert,  the  crippled  lad,  retained  his  pres- 
ence of  mind. 

As  upon  all  such  occasions  he  who  retains  full  command 
of  his  faculties  and  remains  calm  at  once  assumes  the  posi- 
tion of  a  leader,  so  it  was  now. 

In  a  voice  that  sounded  loud  and  stern  as  compared  with 
his  ordinary  gentle  tone,  Paul  commanded  the  runaways  to 
stop  and  return  at  once.  They  hesitated  a  moment  and  then 
obeyed  him.  He  ordered  the  boy  who  lay  upon  the  floor 
to  cease  his  outcries  and  get  up.  Then  the  little  fellow 
approached  as  close  to  the  air-shait  as  he  dared,  and  lying 
down,  with  his  head  beyond  its  edge,  he  listened.  In  a  mo- 
ment he  was  rewarded  for  his  pains,  for  he  heard  a  faint 
moan.   Then  came  another  more  distinctly,  and  he  knew  that 


78       Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

wherever  Bill  Tooley  was  he  was  still  alive,  and  might  possi- 
bly be  saved. 

Taking  the  lamp  from  his  cap,  and  the  coil  of  line  from 
about  his  neck,  where  it  seemed  to  have  been  placed  for  this 
very  emergency,  he  tied  the  one  to  an  end  of  the  other  and 
gently  lowered  it  into  the  shaft.  Before  doing  this  he  or- 
dered two  of  the  boys  to  hold  him  tightly  by  the  legs,  and 
thus  prevent  him  from  slipping  over  the  edge.  Quieted, 
and  with  some  of  their  courage  restored  by  his  coolness,  they 
did  as  he  directed,  and  held  him  with  so  firm  a  grip  that  for 
many  days  afterwards  his  legs  bore  black  and  blue  imprints 
of  their  fingers. 

As  the  little  lamp  swung  downward  the  draught  of  air 
caused  it  to  flare  and  flicker  as  though  it  were  about  to  be 
extinguished,  but  it  was  nearly  full  of  oil,  and  the  wick  had 
just  been  pricked  up,  so  it  continued  to  burn  and  throw  an 
uncertain  light  upon  the  glistening  masses  of  coal  that  formed 
the  sides  of  the  shaft.  It  had  not  been  lowered  more  than 
ten  feet  when  its  feeble  rays  disclosed  a  dark  object,  appar- 
ently suspended  in  mid-air,  in  the  centre  of  the  shaft.  It 
was  Bill  Tooley,  and  Paul  saw  that  by  some  means  his  down- 
ward plunge  had  been  arrested,  and  that  he  was  now  clinging 
to  an  invisible  support. 

Hastily  pulling  up  the  lamp,  Paul  replaced  it  on  his  cap, 
and  doubling  his  line,  made  one  end  of  it  fast  to  an  old  tim- 
ber prop  or  support  of  the  gangway  roof  that  stood  a  short 
distance  from  the  shaft.  Knotting  the  loose  end  about  his 
body,  and  bidding  the  boys  place  one  of  the  old  logs  close  to 


A  Cripple  s  Brave  Deed,  79 

the  edge  of  the  shaft  and  hold  it  there  to  prevent  the  rope 
from  being  chafed  or  cut,  the  brave  little  hump-backed  lad, 
who,  like  most  of  those  in  his  condition,  was  unusually  strong 
in  his  arms,  swung  himself  into  the  dark  hole.  Down  he  slid 
into  the  blackness,  slowly  and  cautiously,  until  he  came  to  the 
object  of  his  search.  It  was  Bill  Tooley's  limp  body  hanging 
across  a  stout  timber  brace,  which,  extending  from  side  to  side 
of  the  shaft  and  firmly  bedded  in  its  walls  at  each  end,  had 
been  left  there  by  the  miners  who  cut  this  air-channel. 

As  Paul's  withered  leg  was  of  no  assistance  to  him  in 
clinging  to  the  timber,  he  lashed  himself  securely  to  it  be- 
fore attempting  to  do  anything  for  the  boy  who  had  so 
recently  been  his  enemy  and  tormentor,  and  was  now  de- 
pendent upon  his  efforts  for  even  a  chance  for  life.  Bill 
was  not  unconscious,  though  so  weak  from  pain  and  fright 
as  to  be  nearly  helpless.  Under  the  influence  of  Paul's  cheer- 
ing words,  and  after  the  line  had  been  securely  fastened  about 
his  body,  he  was  induced  to  let  go  his  desperate  hold  of  the 
timber  and  grasp  the  rope.  Then  Paul  called  out  to  the 
boys  above  to  pull  up  very  slowly  and  carefully,  as  the  least 
carelessness  might  result  in  dashing  both  Bill  and  him  to  the 
bottom  of  the  shaft. 

Bill  Tooley  was  a  heavy  weight  for  the  frightened  boys  at 
the  top  to  manage,  and  several  times,  even  in  the  short  dis- 
tance of  ten  feet,  his  upward  progress  was  arrested,  and  Paul 
feared  that  they  were  about  to  let  him  slip  back.  Obeying 
his  instructions,  two  of  the  boys  walked  away  with  the  rope, 
instead  of  trying  to  pull  up  hand-over-hand,  while  the  other 


8o       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

two  held  the  log  at  the  edge  in  place,  and  made  ready  to 
catch  hold  of  BilPs  arras  as  soon  as  he  should  come  within 
reach. 

Finally  his  head  appeared  above  the  surface,  and  he  was 
dragged,  screaming  with  pain,  over  the  edge,  and  laid  groan- 
ing on  the  floor  of  the  gangway.  Then  the  rope  was  again 
lowered  to  the  brave  little  fellow  who  was  clinging  in  per- 
fect darkness — for  his  light  had  at  length  blown  out — to 
the  timber  brace  in  the  shaft.  He  was  drawn  to  the  surface 
much  more  quickly  and  easily  than  Bill  Tooley  had  been ; 
but  when  he  found  himself  once  more  in  safety,  a  reac- 
tion from  the  nervous  strain  of  the  past  half-hour  set  in. 
Throwing  himself  down  beside  Bill,  he  began  to  sob  so  vio- 
lently as  to  greatly  astonish  the  boys,  who  beheld  but  could 
not  comprehend  this  weakness  in  one  whose  strong  will  had 
but  a  minute  before  so  completely  mastered  theirs. 

In  a  few  moments  Paul  recovered  his  composure  suffi- 
ciently to  ask  two  of  the  boys  to  go  to  the  chamber  at  the 
foot  of  the  slope  and  procure  assistance  to  carry  Bill  Too- 
ley, who  was  evidently  unable  to  walk.  After  a  long  delay 
these  two  returned,  in  company  with  several  miners,  who 
brought  a  stretcher  such  as  is  often  kept  in  coal  mines  in 
readiness  for  the  accidents  that  are  so  common  to  them. 

From  what  the  messenger  boys  had  told  them,  these  men 
knew  most  of  the  facts  connected  with  the  accident.  They 
were  so  loud  in  their  praise  of  Paul  for  his  brave  deed  that 
he  became  greatly  confused,  though  it  must  be  confessed 
that  praise  from  these  great  strong  men,  any  one  of  whom 


A  Cripple's  Brave  Deed.  8i 

would  be  proud  to  have  done  what  he  had,  sounded  very 
pleasantly  to  the  crippled  lad.  In  order  to  have  a  little 
time  to  think  it  all  over,  he  hobbled  on  ahead  of  the  others, 
who  moved  but  slowly  with  their  burden. 

When  he  was  thus  alone  with  his  thoughts,  Paul  sud- 
denly remembered  the  object  for  which  he  had  entered  the 
mine.  It  had  been  completely  lost  sight  of  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  past  hour,  but  now  he  realized  that  they  had 
discovered  nothing  concerning  Derrick's  fate.  He  grew 
faint  and  cold  at  the  remembrance  of  the  air-shaft.  Did 
his  dear  friend's  body  lie  at  the  bottom  of  it  ?  He  trembled 
as  he  thought  how  very  possibly  this  might  be  the  case,  and 
waiting  for  the  men  to  overtake  him,  he  asked  if  they  knew 
anything  of  Derrick  Sterling. 

"  Yes,"  answered  one  of  them,  '*  I  saw  him  come  out  of 
his  mother's  house  as  I  was  passing  on  my  way  to  the  slope, 
more'n  half  an  hour  ago." 

"  Are  you  sure  ?"  asked  Paul,  in  great  surprise. 

"  Certainly  I  am.  Why  not  ?  was  there  anything  strange 
in  that  ?" 

"  Yes,  we  thought  he  was  lost  in  the  mine,  and  have  been 
hunting  for  him." 

"  Well,  you  were  mistaken,  that's  all,  and  you've  had  your 
hunt  for  nothing." 

Paul  was  made  very  happy  by  this  news,  though  it  greatly 
puzzled  him.  The  other  boys  were  relieved  to  hear  that 
Derrick  was  safe,  but  greatly  alarmed  as  to  what  fate  was  in 
store  for  them  as  a  punishment  for  the  injuries  they  had 


82      Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

inflicted  upon  him.  Judging  from  what  they  would  have 
done  under  similar  circumstances,  they  did  not  doubt  that 
Derrick  had  already  spread  the  story  of  his  wrongs  through 
the  village,  together  with  the  names  of  all  those  who  had 
persecuted  him. 

At  length  the  party  reached  the  foot  of  the  slope,  and 
Bill  Tooley,  with  his  head  resting  in  Paul  E  vert's  lap,  and 
moaning  with  pain,  was  sent  in  an  empty  car  to  the  surface. 
The  bully  had  made  himself  so  unpopular  by  his  cruelty, 
and  by  his  overbearing  ways,  that  nobody  except  Paul  felt 
very  sorry  for  him.  When  it  was  learned  that  he  had  re- 
ceived his  injuries  in  consequence  of  his  persecution  of  Der- 
rick Sterling,  the  general  verdict  was  that  he  was  rightly 
served. 

The  injured  boy  was  carried  to  his  home,  whither  Paul 
accompanied  him ;  but  the  latter  was  so  frightened  by  the 
outcries  of  Mrs.  Tooley  when  she  learned  what  had  happen- 
ed that  he  hurried  away  without  entering  the  house.  On 
his  way  home  he  stopped  at  the  Sterlings'  to  inquire  if  Der- 
rick were  really  safe,  and  was  much  comforted  to  learn  that 
he  had  just  come  in  and  gone  to  bed — '*  Where  you  should 
be  yourself,  Paul,"  said  Mrs.  Sterling,  kindly,  as  she  bade 
him  good-night. 

As  the  tired  but  light-hearted  boy  hobbled  into  his  own 
home,  his  father,  who  had  sat  up  waiting  for  him,  without 
knowing  where  he  had  been,  roughly  ordered  him  to  bed, 
saying  it  was  no  time  of  night  for  lads  like  him  to  be  prowl- 
ing about  the  street. 


't^^:.^^, 


km 


^«Si^m^m>m 


IT   WAS   BILL   TOOLEY's   LIMP   BODY, 


A  Cripple  s  Brave  Deed.  85 

The  sensitive  little  fellow  went  up-stairs  without  a  word, 
all  his  light-hearted n ess  dispelled  by  this  harsh  reception, 
and  the  tears  starting  to  his  eyes.  His  back  ached  so  from 
his  unwonted  exertions  that  even  after  he  got  to  bed  he 
tossed  and  tumbled  feverishly  for  several  hours  before  fall- 
ing into  a  troubled  sleep. 

Tom  Evert  left  his  house  earlier  than  usual  the  next 
morning,  and  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  slope,  where  he 
found  a  number  of  his  friends  assembled.  They  began  to 
congratulate  him,  and  continued  to  do  so  until  in  great  be- 
wilderment he  exclaimed, 

"  What's  it  for,  mates  ?     Is  it  a  joke  ?" 

"  For  thy  son,  man." 

"  For  my  son  ?  which  of  'em  ?" 

"  Thy  crippled  lad,  Paul,  of  course.     Is  the  man  daft  ?" 

"  No ;  but  I  think  ye  must  be,  to  be  running  on  in  such 
a  fashion  about  a  lad  that's  not  only  a  wellnigh  helpless 
cripple,  but  I'm  afeard  is  going  bad  ways.  'Twas  nearer 
midnight  nor  sundown  before  he  came  in  frae  t'  street  last 
night,  and  I  sent  him  to  bed  wi'  a  flea  in  his  ear." 

A  perfect  roar  of  laughter  greeted  this  speech. 

"  Wellnigh  helpless,  is  he  ?"  cried  one.  "  Well,  if  he's 
helpless  I'd  like  to  know  what  you'd  name  helpful  ?" 

"  Going  to  the  bad,  is  he  ?" 

"  Out  late  o'  nights  !     That's  a  good  one." 

"  An'  yez  sint  him  to  bed  wid  a  flea  in  his  ear,  an'  him 
just  afther  doin'  the  dade  should  mak'  ye  the  proudest  fay- 
ther  in  de  place !     Did  iver  I  moind  de  likes  of  that  ?" 


86       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Miiies, 

These  and  many  similar  expressions  greeted  the  ear  of  the 
astonished  miner,  and  from  them  he  began  to  comprehend 
that  his  son  Paul  had  done  something  wonderful,  and  had 
thereby  become  a  famous  character  in  the  village.  At 
length,  after  much  effort,  for  they  would  not  believe  but 
that  he  knew  the  whole  story,  he  learned  of  his  boy's  brave 
deed  of  the  night  before.  Instead  of  going  down  the 
slope  the  big  miner  hurried  home,  where  he  found  Paul, 
looking  very  pale  and  languid,  just  sitting  down  to  his 
breakfast. 

Picking  up  the  frail  boy,  and  holding  him  in  his  strong 
arms  as  he  used  to  when  he  was  a  baby,  the  delighted  father 
exclaimed, 

"  Paul,  lad,  forgie  me  this  time,  and  I'll  never  speak  thee 
rough  again.  Thee's  made  me,  I  think,  the  proudest  man 
in  the  state  this  day.  Crippled  and  all,  thee's.  proved  thy- 
self worth  a  score  of  straight  lads,  and  to  thy  fayther  thee's 
worth  all  the  lads  in  the  world.  Mither,  our  Paul's  done 
that  any  man  in  t'  mine  might  be  proud  of,  an'  he's  the  talk 
of  the  colliery." 

Thus  was  Paul  more  than  repaid  for  all  his  suffering  of 
the  night  before,  and  as  he  hobbled  to  his  work  in  the  new 
breaker  that  morning  he  was  once  more  happy  and  light- 
hearted. 

The  evening  before.  Job  Taskar  had  called  Monk  Tooley 
from  his  house,  and  as  they  walked  away  together  he  said, 
in  a  low  but  significant  tone, 

"  That  Sterling:  lad's  not  down  in  the  mine.  Monk." 


A  Cripple's  Brave  Deed,  87 

"  He  must  be  dere,  fer  de  Sleepers  left  him  where  he'd 
be  safe,  an'  I  know  he's  not  come  up  de  slope  since." 

"  He's  not  there,  I  tell  you  ;  for  I  just  now  saw  him  going 
into  Jones's  house,  and  heard  him  say  he  had  something  im- 
portant to  tell  him." 

"  If  yer  saw  him  and  heerd  him  of  course  he  must  be  up ; 
but  I  don't  see  how  he  did  it.  If  he's  told  de  boss  anything 
it  must  be  a  blab  on  de  Sleepers,  fer  he  can't  know  anything 
else." 

*'  Whatever  it  is,  he's  dangerous  to  have  round,  and  we 
must  look  out  for  him." 

"  All  right !  just  leave  him  to  me.  I'll  have  de  Sleepers 
fix  him.  Dey'll  do  anything  my  boy  Bill  tells  'em  ;  he's 
got  'em  under  his  thumb." 

"  Look  sharp  about  it,  then." 

"  Ay,  ay,  mate,  I'll  give  Bill  de  word  to-night  soon  as  he 
comes  in." 

Then  the  two  separated,  and  Monk  Tooley  went  home, 
thinking  over  a  plan  by  which  the  Young  Sleepers,  un- 
der his  son  Bill's  direction,  could  effectually  drive  Derrick 
Sterling  from  the  mine.  As  he  opened  his  own  door  he 
called  out  in  his  loud,  rough  voice, 

"  Bill  come  in  yet  ?" 

Stepping  into  the  front  room,  he  stood  still  in  amazement. 
The  wife  of  a  neighbor  was  holding  up  a  warning  finger 
towards  him,  and  saying,  ''  Sh — h  !" 

His  own  wife  and  two  other  women  were  bending  over  a 
bed  in  one  corner,  and  the  children,  whom  he  had  never  be- 


8S      Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

fore  known  to  be  quiet  when  awake,  were  standing  or  sit- 
ting silently  in  various  frightened  attitudes  about  the  room. 

"  Who  is  it  ?"  he  asked,  hoarsely,  with  an  attempt  at  a 
whisper. 

"  It's  Bill,"  answered  one  of  the  women.  "  He's  badly 
hurted,  falling  down  a  shaft  in  the  mine,  and  is  like  to  die. 
They  say  Paul  the  cripple  saved  him." 

"  Bill !  my  Bill !  You're  lying !"  cried  the  miner,  fiercely. 
"  Bill  came  out  of  de  mine  wid  de  day  shift.     I  seen  him." 

Eough  and  cruel  as  he  was,  the  man  had,  hidden  some- 
where in  his  being,  a  deep-seated  affection  for  his  son  Bill. 
Although  he  had  never  been  heard  to  speak  other  than 
harshly  to  him.  Bill  was  the  pride  and  joy  of  his  hard  life. 
A  blow  aimed  at  Bill  struck  him  with  redoubled  force.  His 
hatred  of  Derrick  Sterling  arose  from  the  fact  that  the  lad 
had  thrashed  his  boy.  Now  to  tell  him  that  his  boy  Bill 
was  so  badly  hurt  that  he  was  likely  to  die  was  like  wrench- 
ing from  him  all  that  he  held  worth  living  for. 

The  women  made  way  for  the  rough  miner  as  he  strode 
to  where  his  son  lay  on  a  heap  of  soiled  bedclothing,  toss- 
ing and  moaning,  but  unconscious,  and  in  a  high  fever. 
One  look  was  enough,  and  then  Monk  Tooley  left  the  house, 
and  set  forth  on  a  ten-mile  walk  through  the  night  to  fetch 
the  nearest  doctor. 

By  sunrise  the  doctor  had  come  and  gone  again,  having 
done  what  he  could.  He  said  the  boy  would  live  if  he  were 
kept  quiet  and  had  careful  nursing,  but  that  he  was  injured 
in  such  a  way  that  he  might  be  lame  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 


A  Cripple  s  Brave  Deed.  89 

When  Monk  Tooley  went  down  into  the  mine  that  day — 
for  he  must  now  work  harder  and  more  steadily  than  ever 
to  support  this  added  burden — he  was  a  silent,  heart-broken 
man. 

It  was  nearly  noon  before  Derrick  Sterling  awoke  after 
his  first  day  of  bitter  experience  in  the  mine.  Though  he 
was  still  sore  and  lame,  hot  water  and  sleep,  two  of  nature's 
most  powerful  remedies  in  cases  of  his  kind,  had  worked 
such  wonders  for  him  that  he  felt  quite  ready  to  enter  the 
mine  again,  and  face  whatever  new  trials  it  might  have  in 
store  for  him. 

After  dinner  the  mine  boss  came  to  see  him,  and  was 
amazed  to  find  him  looking  so  well  and  cheerful. 

"  You  seem  to  come  up  smiling  after  every  knock  down, 
Derrick,"  he  said.  "I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  would 
even  be  ready  to  go  down  into  the  mine  again  to-mor- 
row." 

"  Indeed  I  think  I  must,  sir,"  said  Derrick,  earnestly.  "  I 
don't  believe  any  one  else  can  get  along  with  Harry  Mule 
as  well  as  I  can." 

"Let  me  see.  How  many  years  have  you  been  driving 
him  ?"  asked  Mr.  Jones,  gravely. 

"Only  one  day,  sir,"  replied  Derrick,  laughing,  "but  I 
think  he's  very  fond  of  me,  and  I  know  I  am  of  him." 

"  All  right ;  if  you  insist  upon  it,  you  shall  go  down  again 
to-morrow  to  your  bumping-mule.  IS^ow  I  want  to  talk  to 
you  seriously." 

The  conversation  that  followed  was  long  and  earnest,  and 


90      Derrick  Sterlmg :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

it  was  ended  by  Mr.  Jones  saying,  just  before  he  left,  "  1 
must  manage  somehow  or  other  to  be  there  on  the  27tli, 
and  I  want  you  to  go  with  me,  for  I  don't  know  of  any- 
body else  whom  I  dare  trust.  It  only  remains  for  us  to 
discover  a  way." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DERRICK    sterling's    SPLENDID    REVENGE. 

^I^HE  new  breaker,  in  which  Paul  Evert  now  worked  as  a 
-■-  slate-picker,  was  in  general  appearance  ver}^  much  like 
the  old  one,  but  its  interior  arrangement  was  different, 
and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  make  life  much  easier  for  those 
who  worked  in  it.  The  greatest  improvement  was  the  in- 
troduction of  a  set  of  machines  called  "  jigs."  The  coal 
from  the  mine,  after  being  drawn  to  the  very  top  of  the 
breaker,  first  passed  between  great  spiked  rollers,  or  "  crush- 
ers;" then  through  a  series  of  "screens,"  provided  with 
holes  of  different  sizes,  that  separated  it  into  the  several 
grades  of  egg,  stove,  nut,  pea,  buckwheat,  etc.  From  the 
screens  it  was  led  into  the  jigs.  These  are  perforated  iron 
cylinders  set  in  tubs  of  water,  and  fitted  with  movable  iron 
bottoms  placed  at  a  slight  angle.  A  small  steam  -  engine 
attached  to  each  machine  raises  and  lowers  or  "  jigs "  this 
iron  bottom  a  few  inches  each  way  very  rapidly.  The 
contents  of  the  cylinders  are  thus  constantly  shaken  in 
water,  and  as  the  slate  is  heavier  than  the  coal,  most  of  it 
settles  to  the  bottom,  and  is  carried  off  through  a  waste 
chute.     The  wet  coal  runs  out  through  other  chutes  placed 


92       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

a  little  higher  than  that  for  slate,  and  extending  down 
through  the  length  of  the  breaker  to  the  storage  bins  at  its 
bottom.  Along  these  chutes  in  the  new  breaker,  as  in  the 
old  one,  sat  rows  of  boys  picking  out  the  bits  of  slate  that 
had  escaped  the  jigs,  and  among  them  was  Paul  Evert. 

When  Derrick  Sterling  entered  the  new  breaker  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  day  following  that  which  had  brought  such 
memorable  adventures,  he  was  surprised  at  the  compara- 
tive absence  of  coal-dust.  It  still  rose  in  clouds  from  the 
crushers  and  screens,  but  there  was  none  above  the  chutes. 
He  understood  the  theory  of  jigs,  but  had  never  seen  them 
at  work,  and  now  he  was  so  greatly  interested  in  watching 
them  as  almost  to  forget  the  errand  on  which  he  had  come. 
It  was  only  when  Mr.  Guffy  spoke  to  him  that  he  thought 
of  it,  and  handed  the  breaker  boss  the  note  he  had  come  to 
give  him. 

"  All  right,"  said  the  boss  after  reading  it.  "  I'm  sorry 
to  lose  him,  for  he  is  a  quiet,  steady  lad,  and  could  in  time 
be  made  very  useful  as  a  picker.  I  doubt,  though,  if  his  back 
would  hold  out  long  at  the  work.  Yes,  you  may  take  him 
along  now  if  you  want  to." 

Stepping  over  to  where  his  friend  sat.  Derrick  said, 
"Come,  Paul, you're  not  to  work  any  more  to-day;  I  want 
to  have  a  talk  with  you  outside." 

When  they  had  left  the  breaker.  Derrick  said,  "How 
would  you  like  to  go  down  into  the  mine,  Paul,  and  be  a 
door-tender,  very  near  where  I  work,  and  get  twice  as  much 
money  as  you  can  make  in  the  breaker?" 


Derrick  Sterling's  Splendid  Revenge,  93 

"  Of  course  I  should  like  it,"  answered  Paul,  gravely ; 
"but  I  don't  think  they  want  a  cripple  like  me  down 
there." 

"  Yes,  they  do  want  just  exactly  such  a  fellow  as  you  are ; 
they  found  out  last  night  what  you  could  do  in  a  mine. 
Mr.  Jones  says  that  if  you  want  to  you  can  go  down  with 
me  to-morrow  morning,  and  begin  at  once  without  waiting 
for  the  end  of  the  month.  You  are  to  go  with  me  to  the 
store  this  evening  for  your  mine  cap,  lamp,  and  boots.  See, 
here's  the  order  for  them." 

Paul  stared  at  the  order  for  a  moment  as  though  he  could 
not  believe  it  was  real.  Then  exclaiming,  "  Oh  goody.  Der- 
rick! I'm  so  glad  to  get  out  of  that  hateful,  back-aching 
breaker,"  he  gave  a  funny  little  twirl  of  his  body  around  his 
crutch,  which  was  his  way  of  expressing  great  joy. 

Derrick  shared  this  joy  equally  with  Paul,  and  to  see 
them  one  would  have  supposed  they  had  just  come  into 
fortunes  at  least.  To  a  stranger  such  rejoicings  over  an 
offer  of  monotonous  work  down  in  the  blackness  of  a  coal 
mine  would  have  seemed  absurd,  but  if  he  had  ever  been 
a  breaker  boy  he  could  have  fully  sympathized  with  them. 

The  two  boys  were  standing  beside  the  check-board,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  slope,  and  after  their  rejoicings  had  some- 
what subsided  Derrick  said,  "  Let's  see  who's  sent  up  the 
most  to-day." 

The  check-board  was  something  like  the  small  black-board 
that  hangs  behind  the  teacher's  desk  in  a  school-room.  It 
was  provided  with  several  rows  of  pegs,  on  which  hung  a 


'       94       Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

number  of  wooden  tags.  Each  of  these  tags,  or  checks, 
had  cut  into  it  the  initials  or  private  mark  of  the  miner  to 
whom  it  belonged.  When  a  miner  working  in  the  under- 
ground breasts  or  chambers  filled  a  car  with  coal  and  started 
it  on  its  way  to  the  slope,  he  hung  on  it  one  of  his  checks. 
When  the  same  car  reached  the  top  of  the  slope  the  "check 
boss  "  stationed  there  took  the  check  from  it  and  hung  it 
in  its  proper  place  on  the  check -board.  At  the  end  of 
working-hours  the  number  of  checks  thus  hung  up  for  each 
miner  was  counted,  and  the  same  number  of  car-loads  of 
coal  credited  to  him. 

Acting  on  Derrick's  suggestion,  the  boys  turned  to  the 
check-board,  and  quickly  saw  that  there  were  more  checks 
marked  M.  T.  than  anything  else. 

*'  Why,  Monk  Tooley  has  got  the  most  by  three  loads !" 
exclaimed  Derrick,  counting  them.  He  must  have  worked 
all  through  lunch-hour,  and  like  a  mule  at  that.  I  wonder 
what's  got  into  him  ?" 

"  Perhaps  he's  trying  to  make  up  for  what  Bill  won't  earn 
now,"  suggested  Paul,  quietly. 

"That's  so,"  said  Derrick.  "I  never  thought  of  that, 
Polly ;  and  I  haven't  thanked  you  yet  for  going  down  into 
the  mine  to  look  for  me  last  night,  or  told  you  what  a  splen- 
did fellow  I  think  you  are." 

"  Please  don't,  Derrick,"  interrupted  Paul,  with  a  troubled 
expression ;  "  you  mustn't  thank  me  for  anything  I  tried  to 
do  for  you.  Don't  I  owe  you  more  than  anything  I  can 
ever  do  will  pay  for?     Didn't  you  bring  me  out  of  the 


Derrick  Sterlmg's  Splendid  Revenge,  95 

burning  breaker  ?  and  don't  I  love  you  more  than  most 
anybody  on  earth  ?" 

"  Well,  you're  a  plucky  fellow  anyway,"  said  Derrick, 
"  and  I'd  rather  have  you  down  in  the  mine  if  there  was 
any  trouble  than  half  of  the  men  who  are  there.  Let's  stop 
and  see  how  Bill  Tooley's  getting  along  on  our  way  home." 

*'  All  right,"  assented  Paul ;  ''  only  if  his  mother's  there 
I  shall  be  almost  afraid  to  go  in." 

As  the  boys  walked  away  from  the  vicinity  of  the  check- 
board,  a  man  who  had  come  up  the  slope  but  a  few  minutes 
before,  and  had  been  watching  them  unobserved,  stepped 
up  to  it.  He  was  Job  Taskar  the  blacksmith,  known  to  the 
men  who  met  in  the  chamber  at  the  bottom  of  the  air-shaft, 
in  the  old  workings,  as  Body-master  of  Raven  Brook.  The 
check  boss  had  asked  him  to  stop  there  a  minute,  and  look 
out  for  any  cars  that  might  come  up,  while  he  stepped  in- 
side the  breaker. 

Casting  a  hurried  glance  around  to  see  that  no  one  was 
looking,  Job  Taskar  slipped  three  of  Monk  Tooley's  checks 
from  their  peg,  thrust  them  into  his  pocket,  altered  the 
chalked  figure  above  the  peg,  and  resumed  his  place. 

When  Derrick  and  Paul  reached  the  Tooleys'  house  it 
seemed  to  them  even  more  noisy  than  usual.  Several  wom- 
en sat  gossiping  with  Mrs.  Tooley  in  the  door-way,  while  a 
dozen  children  and  several  dogs  ran  screaming  or  barking  and 
quarrelling  in  and  out  of  the  room  where  the  sick  boy  lay. 

They  asked  his  mother  how  he  was,  and  what  the  doctor 
had  said  of  his  condition. 


96      Derrick  Sterti7ig :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"  Ye  can  go  in  and  see  for  yourselves  how  he  is,"  was  the 
reply,  "  there's  naught  to  hinder.  Doctor  said  he  was  to  be 
kept  perfectly  quiet  and  have  nussin',  but  how  he's  going 
to  get  either  with  them  brats  rampaging  and  howling,  and 
me  the  only  one  to  look  after  them,  is  more  than  I  know." 

Accepting  this  invitation,  the  boys  stepped  inside,  and 
picking  their  way  among  the  children  and  dogs  to  the  un- 
tidy bed  on  which  Bill  lay,  spoke  to  him  and  asked  him  if 
there  was  anything  they  could  do  for  him. 

He  was  conscious,  though  very  weak  and  in  great  pain, 
and  on  opening  his  eyes  he  whispered, "  Water.'' 

For  more  than  an  hour  he  had  longed  for  it,  until  hie 
parched  tongue  was  ready  to  cleave  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth, 
but  nobody  had  come  near  him,  and  he  could  not  make  him- 
self heard  above  the  noise  of  the  children. 

Taking  the  tin  dipper  that  lay  on  a  chair  beside  the  bed, 
Derrick  went  out  to  the  hydrant  to  fill  it  with  the  cool 
mountain  water  that  flowed  there. 

Paul  drew  a  tattered  window-shade  so  that  the  hot  west- 
ern sun  should  not  shine  full  in  the  sick  boy's  face,  loosen- 
ed his  shirt  at  the  neck,  smoothed  back  the  matted  hair  from 
his  forehead,  and  with  a  threatening  shake  of  his  crutch, 
drove  a  howling  dog  and  several  screaming  children  from 
the  room. 

These  little  attentions  soothed  the  sufferer,  and  he  looked 
up  gratefully  and  wonderingly  at  Paul.  When  Derrick  re- 
turned with  the  water  he  lifted  his  head,  and  stretched  out 
his  hand  eagerly  for  it.     At  that  moment  Mrs.  Tooley  came 

If 


Derrick  Sterling's  Splendid  Revenge,  97 

bustling  to  the  bedside  to  see  what  the  boys  were  doing. 
Catching  sight  of  the  dipper  she  snatched  it  from  Derrick's 
hand,  crying  out  that  it  would  kill  the  boy  to  give  him  cold 
water,  "  and  him  ragin'  wid  a  fever."  This  so  frightened 
the  boys  that  they  hurriedly  took  their  departure,  and  poor 
Bill  cast  such  a  wistful,  despairing  glance  after  them  as  they 
left  the  house  that  their  hearts  were  filled  with  pity  for 
him. 

At  the  supper-table  that  evening  Derrick  asked : 

"  Does  it  hurt  people  who  have  a  fever  to  give  them 
water,  mother  ?" 

"  No,  dear ;  I  do  not  think  it  does.  My  experience  teach- 
es me  to  give  feverish  patients  all  the  cooling  drinks  they 
want." 

Then  Derrick  told  her  what  he  had  seen  and  learned  of 
Bill  Tooley's  condition  that  afternoon.  He  so  excited  her 
pity  by  his  description  of  the  dirt,  noise,  and  neglect  from 
which  the  sick  lad  was  suffering  that  she  finally  exclaimed, 
"  Poor  fellow !  I  wish  we  had  room  to  take  care  of  him 
here !" 

"  Do  you,  mother,  really  ?  I  wanted  to  ask  you,  but  was 
almost  afraid  to,  if  he  couldn't  come  here  and  have  my  room 
till  he  gets  well.  You  see  he's  always  treated  Polly  worse 
than  he  has  me,  and  yet  Polly  risked  his  life  for  him.  It 
isn't  anywhere  near  so  much  to  do  as  that,  of  course ;  but 
Pd  like  to  give  up  my  room  to  him,  and  nurse  him  when  I 
was  home,  if  you  could  look  after  him  a  little  when  I  wasn't. 
I  can  sleep  on  the  floor  close  to  the  bed,  and  be  ready  to 


98       Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

wait  on  him  nights.  You  know  I  always  liked  the  floor 
better  than  a  bed,  anyway,  and  I  believe  hell  die  if  he  stays 
where  he  is." 

They  knew  each  other  so  well,  this  mother  and  son,  that 
a  question  of  this  kind  was  easily  settled  between  them. 
Though  both  fully  realized  what  a  task  they  were  undertak- 
ing, it  w^as  decided  that  if  his  parents  would  consent.  Bill 
Tooley  should  be  brought  to  their  house  to  be  nursed. 

When  Monk  Tooley  came  up  from  the  mine  that  even- 
ing, and  examined  the  check-board  to  see  how  the  numbers 
to  his  credit  compared  with  the  tally  he  had  kept,  he  became 
very  angry,  and  accused  the  check  boss  of  cheating  him. 
The  latter  said  he  knew  nothing  about  it.  There  were  the 
checks  to  speak  for  themselves.  He  had  hung  each  one  on 
the  peg  as  it  came  up. 

"  Den  dey've  been  stolen !"  exclaimed  the  angry  man, 
"  an'  if  I  catch  him  as  done  it,  I'll  make  him  smart  for  it, 
dat's  all." 

The  check  boss  tried  to  show  him  how  perfectly  useless  it 
would  be  for  anybody  to  steal  another's  checks.  "  You 
know  yourself  it  wouldn't  do  him  any  good,  Tooley,"  he 
said.  "  He  couldn't  claim  anything  on  'em,  or  make  any 
kind  of  a  raise  on  'em ;  besides,  I've  been  right  here  every 
minute  of  the  day,  barrin'  a  couple  when  I  ran  inside  the 
breaker  on  an  errand.  Then  I  left  Job  Taskar,  as  honest  a 
man  as  there  is  in  the  colliery,  to  keep  watch,  and  he  said 
nothing  passed  while  I  was  gone." 

"  Well,"  answered  Monk  Tooley,  "  I'm  cheated  outer  three 


Derrick  Sterling's  Splendid  Revenge,  99 

loads,  and  you  know  what  dat  is  ter  a  man  what's  worked 
overtime  ter  make  'em,  an'  has  sickness  and  doctor's  bills  at 
home.  But  I'll  catch.de  thief  yet,  an'  when  I  do  he'll  wish 
he'd  never  know'd  what  a  check  was." 

As  he  was  walking  down  the  street  after  supper,  smoking 
a  pipe  and  thinking  of  his  sick  boy,  who  seemed  to  have 
grown  worse  since  morning,  and  of  his  lost  checks.  Monk 
Tooley  was  accosted  by  Derrick  Sterling,  who  said, 

"  Good -evening,  Mr.  Tooley.     How's  Bill  this  evening  ?" 

"  None  de  better  fer  your  askin',"  was  the  surly  answer, 
for  the  man  felt  very  bitter  against  Derrick,  to  whom  he 
attributed  all  his  son's  trouble. 

"  I'm  sorry  to  hear  that  he  isn't  any  better,"  continued  the 
boy,  determined  not  to  be  easily  rebuffed. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  yer  sorry,  an'  wish  yer  was  sorrier." 

This  did  not  seem  to  promise  a  very  pleasant  conversation, 
but  Derrick  persevered,  saying, 

"It  must  be  very  hard  for  Mrs.  Tooley  to  keep  so  many 
children  quiet,  and  I  believe  the  doctor  said  Bill  must  not  be 
troubled  by  noise,  didn't  he  ?" 

"  Yes,  an'  if  ye'd  muzzle  yer  own  mouth  de  whole  place 
would  be  quieter." 

"  My  mother  wanted  me  to  say  to  you  that  if  you'd  like 
to  send  Bill  over  to  our  house  for  a  few  days,  it's  so  quiet 
over  there  that  she  thought  it  would  do  him  good,  and  she'd 
be  very  glad  to  have  him,"  said  Derrick,  plunging  boldly  into 
the  business  he  had  undertaken  to  manage. 

"Tell  yer  mother  ter  mind  her  own  brats  an'  leave  me  ter 


lOO    Derrick  Sterli7ig:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

mind  mine,  den  de  road'll  be  wide  enough  for  de  both  of 
uSj"  was  the  ungracious  answer  made  by  the  surly  miner  to 
this  offer,  as  he  turned  away  and  left  Derrick  standing  angry 
and  mortified  behind  him. 

"  That  comes  of  trying  to  do  unto  others  as  you  would 
have  others  do  unto  you,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "  Seems 
to  me  the  best  way  is  to  do  unto  others  as  they  do  unto  you, 
and  then  nobody  can  complain.  I  declare  if  I  had  as  ugly 
a  temper  as  that  man  has  I'd  go  and  drown  myself.  I  don't 
believe  he's  got  one  spark  of  human  feeling  in  him." 

Monk  Tooley  was  not  quite  so  bad  as  Derrick  thought 
him,  but  just  at  that  time  everything  seemed  to  go  wrong 
with  him,  and  he  was  like  some  savage  animal  suffering  from 
a  pain  for  which  it  can  find  no  relief.  He  began  to  repent 
of  his  ugliness  to  Derrick  almost  as  soon  as  the  latter  had  left 
him,  saying  to  himself ,"  May  be  de  lad  meant  kindly  arter  all." 

Going  back  to  his  untidy,  noisy  home,  he  entered  the 
house,  and  standing  by  his  son's  bedside  gazed  curiously  at 
him.  The  boy  was  evidently  growing  worse  each  minute, 
as  even  the  unpractised  eye  of  the  miner  could  see.  He  was 
tossing  in  a  high  fever,  calling  constantly  for  the  water  which 
in  her  ignorance  his  mother  would  not  give  him,  nor  did  he 
appear  to  recognize  any  of  those  who  stood  near. 

*'I  fear  me  his  time's  come,"  said  one  of  the  neighbor 
women,  several  of  whom,  attracted  by  curiosity,  came  and 
went  in  and  out  of  the  house. 

Although  the  remark  was  not  intended  for  his  ears,  Monk 
Tooley  heard  it,  and  apparently  it  brought  him  to  a  sudden 


STANDING   BY   HIS   SON'S   BEDSIDE   GAZED    CURIOUSLY   AT   HIM. 


Derrick  Sterling's  Splendid  Revenge,        103 

determination.  Without  a  word  he  left  the  house  and  walked 
directly  to  that  of  the  Sterlings.  Entering  the  open  door- 
way without  the  ceremony  of  knocking,  which  was  little 
practised  in  that  colliery  village,  he  found  the  family  gath- 
ered in  their  tiny  sitting-room,  Derrick  poring  intently  over 
a  plan  of  the  old  workings  of  the  mine,  Helen  reading,  and 
their  mother  sewing. 

Bowing  awkwardly  to  Mrs.  Sterling,  he  said,  "Derrick 
tells  me,  missus,  dat  you're  willin'  to  take  my  poor  lad  in  and 
nuss  him  a  bit.  His  own  mither  has  no  knowledge  of  de 
trade,  an'  he's  just  dyin'  over  yon.  If  yer  mean  it,  and  will 
do  fer  him,  yer'll  never  want  for  a  man  to  lift  a  hand  fer 
you  and  yours  as  long  as  Monk  Tooley  is  widin  call." 

"  I  do  mean  it,  Mr.  Tooley,  and  if  you  can  only  get  him 
here,  I'll  gladly  do  what  I  can  for  him,"  said  Mrs.  Sterling. 

"  I'll  bring  him,  mum,  I'll  go  fer  him  now ;"  and  Monk 
Tooley,  with  another  awkward  pull  at  the  brim  of  his  hat, 
left  the  house. 

In  five  minutes  he  was  back,  accompanied  by  another 
miner,  and  between  them  they  bore  a  mattress  on  which  lay 
the  sick  boy. 

He  was  undressed,  bathed,  and  placed  ia  Derrick's  cool, 
clean  bed.  Within  ah  hour  cooling  drinks  and  outward  ap- 
plications had  so  reduced  the  fever  and  quieted  him  that  he 
had  fallen  into  a  deep  sleep. 

Within  the  same  time  all  the  village  knew,  and  wondered 
over  the  knowledge,  that  Monk  Tooley's  sick  lad  was  being 
cared  for  in  the  house  of  the  widow  Sterling. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SOCRATES,  THE    WISE    MINE    RAT. 

WHEN  Derrick  and  Paul  found  themselves  descending 
the  slope,  together  with  a  earful  of  miners,  the  next 
morning,  it  seemed  to  them  a  long  time  since  they  had  tra- 
versed its  black  depths.  So  accustomed  do  the  toilers  of 
the  colliery  become  to  exciting  incidents  that  elsewhere 
would  furnish  subject  for  weeks  of  thought  and  conversa- 
tion, that  often  a  single  day  suffices  to  divert  their  attention 
to  something  new.  So  it  was  witli  our  two  boys,  in  whose 
minds  their  recent  adventures  were  already  shorn  of  their 
terrors,  and  only  thought  of  as  something  unpleasant,  to  be 
forgotten  as  quickly  as  possible.  Therefore  they  did  not 
speak  of  them  as  they  talked  together  in  low  tones,  but  only 
of  the  present  and  the  future. 

"  I  think  it's  awful  good  of  you  and  your  mother  to  take 
Bill  Tooley  into  your  own  house  and  nurse  him,''  said  Paul. 

"  Oh  no,"  laughed  Derrick,  "  it  isn't  so  very  good.  Re- 
venge is  what  we  are  after,  and  that  is  one  way  of  getting 
it." 

Hearing  Bill  Tooley's  name  mentioned  between  the  boys, 
one  of  the  miners  who  rode  in  the  car  with  them  had  leaned 


Socrates,  the  Wise  Mine  Rat,  105 

forward  to  learn  what  they  were  saying.  At  Derrick's 
last  remark  this  man  started  back  and  gazed  at  him  curi- 
ously. 

"  He's  got  the  very  stuff  in  him  to  make  a  Mollie  of,"  he 
thought.  "  To  think  he's  so  sly.  He's  got  the  fellow  he 
hates  into  his  own  house,  pretending  that  ho  wants  to  nurse 
him,  and  now  he's  going  to  take  out  his  revenge  on  him. 
Perhaps  he's  going  to  poison  him,  or  fix  pins  in  the  bed  so 
they'll  stick  him.  Anyway,  I'll  have  to  give  Monk  the 
hint  of  what  he's  up  to."  Then,  admiringly,  and  half 
aloud,  he  muttered,  still  looking  at  Derrick,  "  The  young 
willain !" 

From  the  foot  of  the  slope  Derrick  set  off  for  the  sta- 
ble to  get  Harry  Mule,  while  Paul  waited  for  the  making 
up  of  a  train  of  empty  cars,  in  which  he  was  to  ride  to  the 
junction  near  the  blacksmith's  shop.  There  Derrick  was  to 
meet  him,  take  him  to  his  post  of  duty,  and  tell  him  about 
opening  and  closing  the  door,  and  tending  the  switch  of 
which  he  was  to  have  charge. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  and  Derrick  had  been  friends 
but  a  single  day,  Harry  Mule  appeared  to  recognize  his 
young  driver,  and  gave  him  a  cordial  greeting  as  he  entered 
the  stable.  At  least  he  threw  up  his  head  and  uttered  a 
tremendous  bray,  which  went  "  Haw !  he-haw,  he-haw,  he- 
haw  !"  and  sounded  so  absurdly  like  a  laugh  that  Derrick 
laughed  from  sympathy  until  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks. 
The  mule  gazed  at  him  with  a  look  of  wonder  in  his  big 
eyes,  and  stood  so  meek  and  quiet  while  his  harness  was 


io6    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

being  put  on  that  Derrick  thought  perhaps  his  feelings  had 
been  hurt.  To  soothe  them  he  talked  to  him,  and  told  him 
that  Paul  had  come  down  into  the  mine  to  work. 

As  they  left  the  stable,  and  Derrick  stopped  to  fasten  the 
door,  Harry  started  in  the  opposite  direction  from  that  in 
which  he  should  have  gone,  and  ran  down  the  gangway, 
kicking  up  his  heels  and  braying,  as  though  he  were  a  frisky 
young  colt  in  a  pasture  instead  of  an  old  bumping-mule 
down  in  a  coal-mine.  Derrick  ran  after  him,  and  for  some 
time  could  sec  the  reflection  of  the  collar-lamp,  which  was 
swung  violently  to  and  fro  by  the  animal's  rapid  motion. 
The  disappearance  of  this  light  in  the  distance  was  followed 
by  an  angry  shouting  and  a  muffled  crash. 

Derrick  was  provoked  that  his  mule  should  have  made  all 
this  trouble,  and  was  anxious  to  discover  the  full  extent  of 
the  mischief  done,  but  he  could  not  help  laughing  when  he 
reached  the  scene  of  confusion.  The  first  object  he  saw 
was  Harry  himself,  standing  still  and  gazing  demurely  at 
him  with  the  wondering  look  which  was  his  most  common 
expression.  He  was  hitched  in  front  of  a  string  of  mules 
which  were  attached  to  a  train  of  empty  cars,  and  was  evi- 
dently prepared  to  act  as  their  leader.  The  boy  driver  of 
these  mules,  with  many  muttered  exclamations,  was  trying 
to  disentangle  their  harness  from  the  snarl  it  had  got  into, 
and  in  one  of  the  cars  stood  Paul  Evert,  looking  somewhat 
dilapidated  and  greatly  disgusted. 

"  Hullo,  Derrick !"  he  called  out.  "  Where  did  that  mule 
come  from  ?" 


Socrates,  the  Wise  Mine  Rat,  107 

"Why,  that's  Hany,  my  bumping-mule,"  answered  Der- 
rick as  he  came  up  Laughing. 

"Bumping-mule!  I  should  think  he  was,"  said  Paul. 
"  He  made  these  cars  stop  so  quick  that  I  was  almost  bumped 
out  of  'em,  and  the  skin's  all  knocked  off  my  nose.  I  don't 
see  what  he  wanted  to  come  bumping  along  this  way  for." 

"  Why,  I  told  him  you  were  coming,"  said  Derrick,  "  and 
I  suppose  he  wanted  to  welcome  you  to  the  mine." 

"  Well,  I'm  sorry  you  told  him,  and — " 

Just  then  the  driver  shouted  "  Gee  up !"  and  Harry 
Mule,  anxious  to  do  his  duty  in  his  new  position,  started 
ahead  so  briskly  as  to  pull  the  other  three  mules  promptly 
into  line  and  give  a  violent  jerk  to  the  cars.  Losing  his 
balance  with  this  unexpected  motion,  Paul  sat  suddenly 
down  in  the  bottom  of  the  car  he  w^as  in,  and  there  he  wise- 
ly decided  to  remain. 

When  they  reached  the  junction.  Derrick  asked  Paul  to 
wait  for  him  until  he  and  Harry  Mule  had  distributed  the 
empty  cars  to  their  several  destinations.  Attracted  by  its 
cheerful  light,  Paul  stepped  inside  the  blacksmith's  shop, 
where  Job  Taskar,  who  was  hammering  away  as  busily  as 
usual,  glanced  up  as  he  entered,  but  paid  no  further  atten- 
tion to  him.  A  minute  later  the  smith,  who  had  just  begun 
his  day's  work,  and  still  wore  his  coat,  pulled  it  off  and 
flung  it  to  one  side.  Something  dropped  from  one  of  its 
pockets  unnoticed  by  him  as  he  did  so,  and  Paul  was  on  the 
point  of  calling  his  attention  to  it.  He  did  not,  however, 
because  the  smith's  helper,  a   slim,  dreary  -  looking  young 


io8    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

man,  to  whom  nobody  ever  paid  much  attention,  also  no- 
ticed the  falling  object,  and  picked  it  up  without  being  seen 
by  Job.  Gazing  at  it  curiously  for  a  moment,  he  restored 
it,  as  Paul  thought,  to  the  pocket  from  which  it  had  fall  ,n. 
In  reality,  he  slipped  it  into  a  pocket  of  his  own  coat  w'  ich 
lay  under  that  of  his  boss. 

Derrick  now  came  back,  and  with  him  Paul  went  o  the 
door  that  he  was  to  tend.  Just  inside  of  it,  on  a  tform 
laid  above  the  ditch  of  black,  rapidly  flowing  wate  stood  a 
rude  arm-chair  made  out  of  rough  boards.  Abov  :  hung  a 
board  full  of  holes  into  which  several  pegs  were  ast.  Der- 
rick told  Paul  that  with  these  pegs  he  must  i  tally  of  the 
number  of  loaded  cars  that  passed  this  e'  a,  and  that  he 
must  always  be  ready  to  answer  promptly  t  ^e  call  of  "  Door." 
Within  reach  from  the  chair  was  a  lever  by  means  of  which 
the  switch  was  moved.  Paul  was  told  that  after  each  door 
call  there  would  come  another  explaining  on  which  track  the 
approaching  cars  were  to  go,  and  that  he  must  listen  care- 
fully for  it  and  set  the  switch  accordingly.  After  showing 
him  the  large  oil-can  from  which  he  might  refill  his  lamp, 
Derrick  bade  him  good-by  and  returned  to  his  own  work. 

This  morning  passed  much  more  pleasantly  to  the  young 
mule-driver  than  the  first  one  had.  Not  only  did  Tom  Evert 
greet  him  cordially,  and  thank  him  for  what  he  had  done  foi 
Paul,  but  Monk  Tooley  gave  him  a  gruff  "  Mornin',  lad,"  and 
most  of  the  other  men  spoke  pleasantly  to  him,  as  though  to 
atone  in  a  measure  for  his  previous  suffering.  Above  all,  he 
occasionally  had  to  pass  Paul's  station,  and  the  mere  sight  of 


Socrates,  the  Wise  Mine  Rat,  109 

his  faithful  friend  leaning  on  his  crutch  and  holding  open 
the  door  was  a  source  of  joy. 

As  Paul  had  much  spare  time  on  his  hands,  he  occupied  it 
in  becoming  acquainted  with  his  surroundings,  and  was  espe- 
cially interested  in  the  curious  markings  on  the  black  slate 
walls  of  the  gangway  near  his  door.  Many  of  these  were  in 
the  form  of  exquisite  ferns,  others  of  curious  leaves  such  as 
he  had  never  seen,  quaint  patterns  like  the  scales  and  bones 
of  queer  fishes,  or  the  ripplings  of  water  on  a  smooth  beach. 
In  one  place  he  found  tiny  tracks,  as  though  a  small  bird  had 
run  quickly  across  it,  and  had  stamped  the  imprint  of  its  feet 
on  the  hard  surface. 

It  was  Paul's  first  lesson  in  geology,  and  it  gave  him  his 
first  idea  that  thife'  hard  slate,  and  the  veins  of  coal  enclosed 
between  its  solid  walls,  might  have  had  a  previous  existence 
in  another  form.  He  pondered  upon  the  length  of  time  that 
must  have  passed  since  those  ferns  grew,  and  since  that  run- 
ning bird  made  those  footprints,  and  finally  concluded  to  ask 
Derrick  if  he  knew. 

At  noon,  after  Harry  Mule  had  been  sent  jingling  to  his 
stable.  Derrick  rejoined  his  friend,  and  they  ate  lunch  to- 
gether. As  they  talked  of  the  strange  markings  on  the 
walls,  and  Derrick  confessed  that  he  knew  no  more  concern- 
ing their  age  than  Paul,  the  latter  suddenly  paused,  and 
with  a  slight  gesture  directed  attention  to  something  in  the 
roadway. 

Looking  in  the  direction  indicated.  Derrick  saw,  sitting 
bolt-upright  on  its  hind-legs,  and  gazing  steadily  at  them,  an 


I  lo     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

immense  rat.  He  was  quite  gray,  and  evidently  very  old  ;  noi 
did  he  seem  to  be  in  the  least  bit  afraid  of  them. 

"  Doesn't  he  look  wise  ?"  whispered  Paul. 

"  As  wise  as  Socrates,"  answered  Derrick. 

Not  having  had  Derrick's  education,  Paul  did  not  know 
who  Socrates  was,  but  the  name  pleased  him,  and  he  said  it 
over  softly  to  himself  —  "  Socrates,  Soc,  Socrates.  That's 
what  I'm  going  to  call  him.  Derrick — '  Socrates.'  I've  seen 
him  round  here  two  or  three  times  this  morning,  and  every 
time  he's  sat  up  just  like  that,  and  looked  as  if  he  knew  all 
that  I  was  thinking  about.  I  believe  he  could  tell  how  old 
the  ferns  are." 

"  I  don't  beMeve  they're  as  old  as  he  is,"  replied  Derrick, 
laughing. 

The  rat  did  not  seem  to  like  this,  for  at  Derrick's  laugh- 
ter he  gave  a  little  squeak  and  darted  away,  disappearing 
beneath  the  door. 

Within  five  minutes  Paul  pointed  again,  and  there  sat  the 
rat  in  precisely  the  same  position  as  before. 

"  Perhaps  this  is  what  he  wants,"  said  Paul,  throwing  a 
bit  of  bread  towards  the  rat.  Approaching  it  cautiously,  the 
beast  first  smelled  of  it,  and  then  seizing  it  in  his  mouth 
again  darted  beneath  the  door.  Several  times  did  he  thus 
come  for  food,  but  he  always  carried  it  away  without  stop- 
ping to  eat  even  a  crumb. 

"  He  must  have  a  large  and  hungry  family,"  said  Derrick. 

"  Or  else  it  isn't  his  dinner-hour  yet,  and  he  is  waiting  foi 
the  proper  time  to  eat,"  laughed  Paul. 


PADL   AND   SOCKATES. 


Socrates,  the  Wise  Mine  Rat,  115 

Always  after  this  Socrates  the  rat  was  a  regular  attendant 
upon  the  boys  at  lunch-time,  and  he  never  failed  to  receive 
a  share  of  whatever  they  had  to  eat.  Often  at  other  times, 
when  no  sound  save  the  steady  gurgle  of  the  black  water 
beneath  him  broke  the  tomb  -  like  silence  of  the  gangway, 
Paul  would  see  the  little  beady  eyes  flashing  here  and  there 
in  the  dim  lamplight,  and  would  feel  a  sense  of  companion- 
ship very  comforting  to  his  loneliness.  At  such  times  Paul 
would  talk  to  the  rat  about  the  queer  pictures  on  the  walls,  and 
ask  him  questions  concerning  them.  For  hours  he  talked  thus 
to  his  wise-looking  companion,  until  he  began  to  believe  that 
the  rat  understood  him,  and  could  really  answer  if  he  chose. 

Sometimes  when  he  was  asked  a  question  he  could  not 
answer,  he  would  reply,  "  I  don't  know,  but  I'll  speak  to 
Socrates  about  it;"  and  at  the  first  opportunity  he  would 
explain  the  whole  difficulty  to  his  gray  -  whiskered  friend- 
Frequently,  by  thuc  thinking  and  talking  the  matter  over, 
he  would  arrive  at  some  conclusion,  more  or  less  correct,  and 
this  he  would  report  as  "  What  Socrates  thinks." 

At  noon  that  day  Monk  Tooley,  as  usual,  ate  his  lunch 
and  smoked  his  pipe  with  Job  Taskar  in  the  blacksmith's 
shop ;  but  he  w^as  very  quiet,  and  not  inclined  to  be  talkative, 
as  was  his  habit.  When  he  left,  the  blacksmith's  helper 
slipped  out  after  him,  and  saying,  "  'Ere's  3ummut  I  think 
belongs  to  you,  Mr,  Tooley,"  handed  him  three  bits  of  wood, 
on  each  of  which  was  deeply  scored  M.  T. 

"  My  lost  checks  !"  exclaimed  the  miner.  "  Where'd  yer 
gfit  'em,  Boodle  ?" 


114    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"  They  dropped  out  liof  Taskar's  pocket  when  'e  flung 
hoif  'is  coat  this  mornin',  and  hi  picked  'em  hup  unbe- 
knownst to  'im." 

"  So  he's  de  one  as  stole  'em,  is  he  ?"  began  the  miner  in  a 
passion.  Then,  changing  his  tone,  he  added,  ''  But  never 
mind.  Boodle ;  of  course  he  only  took  'em  for  de  joke,  and 
we'll  say  no  more  about  it.  Yer  needn't  mention  havin' 
found  'em." 

"  Hall  right,  Mr.  Tooley,  hit  shall  be  has  you  says,"  replied 
the  helper,  meekly,  though  he  was  really  greatly  disappointed 
at  this  turn  of  affairs.  He  disliked  as  much  as  he  feared 
his  boss,  and  had  hoped  that  this  little  incident  might  lead 
to  a  quarrel  between  him  and  the  miner  whose  lost  property 
he  had  just  restored. 

Monk  Tooley  went  back  to  his  work  muttering  to  him- 
self, "  All  dis  means  summut  j  but  we'll  just  lie  low  a  bit, 
and  mebbe  Body  -  master  an  me  '11  have  a  score  ter  settle 
yet." 

The  Young  Sleepers  had  been  so  badly  demoralized  by 
the  incidents  following  their  attempt  to  extract  a  treat  from 
Derrick,  and  especially  by  the  mishap  of  their  leader,  that 
they  had  not  the  courage  to  repeat  the  experiment.  Der- 
rick and  Paul  therefore  left  the  mine  that  evening  without 
being  molested.  They  took  pains,  however,  not  to  be  very 
far  behind  two  brawny  pillars  of  strength  in  the  shape  of 
Tom  Evert  and  Monk  Tooley  when  they  reached  the  foot 
of  the  slope. 

Before  going  home  Monk  Tooley  walked  with  Derrick 


Socrates^  the  Wise  Mme  Ratr  115 

to  the  Widow  Sterling's,  to  inquire  after  his  boy^  and  was 
much  pleased  to  learn  that  he  was  getting  along  nicely. 

"  It  lightens  my  heart  ter  hear  yer  say  dat,  missus,"  he 
said  to  Mrs.  Sterling,  "  an'  it's  not  one  woman  in  ten  thou- 
sand would  do  what  yer  doin'  fer  my  poor  lad." 

"  Derrick  proposed  it,"  said  Mrs.  Sterling,  with  ci  mother's 
anxiety  that  her  son  should  receive  all  the  credit  due  him. 
"  Without  his  help  I'm  afraid  I  should  not  have  been  able 
to  invite  Bill  to  come  here." 

"  He's  a  line  lad,  missus,"  replied  the  miner,  "  an'  if  de 
time  ever  comes  dat  I  can  serve  you  or  him,  my  name's  not 
Monk  Tooley  if  I  don't  jump  at  de  chance." 

After  sitting  a  while  with  Bill,  and  doing  what  lay  in  his 
power  to  make  him  comfortable.  Derrick  again  got  out  his 
father's  plans  of  the  old  workings  of  the  mine,  and  pored 
over  them  intently.  Finally  he  exclaimed,  "  It's  all  right ; 
I  am  sure  of  it !" 

"  What  are  you  so  sure  of,  my  son  ?"  asked  his  mother, 
looking  up  from  her  work. 

"  Something  I  have  been  trying  to  find  out  for  Mr.  Jones, 
mother,  but  he  does  not  want  a  word  said  about  it ;  so  I 
must  keep  the  secret  to  myself,  at  any  rate  until  after  I  have 
seen  him." 

"Seems  to  me  that  you  and  Mr.  Jones  have  a  great 
many  secrets  together.  You  really  are  becoming  quite  an 
important  young  man.  Derrick." 

Although  Derrick  only  smiled  in  reply,  he  thought  to 
himself  that  his  mother  was  about  right,  and  hoped  oth- 


Ii6    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

ers  would  take  the  same  view  of  his  importance  that  she 
did. 

Selecting  some  tracing-paper  from  among  the  things  left 
by  his  father,  the  boy  made  a  tracing  from  the  plan  he  had 
been  studying.  He  followed  all  the  lines  of  the  original 
carefully,  except  in  one  place  where  the  plan  was  so  indis- 
tinct that  he  could  not  tell  exactly  where  they  were  in- 
tended to  go.  Being  in  a  hurry,  and  feeling  confident  that 
they  should  bo  continued  in  a  certain  direction,  he  drew 
them  30  without  verifying  his  conclusions. 

When  he  had  finished  he  left  the  house,  and  went  directly 
to  that  of  the  mine  boss,  taking  the  tracing  he  had  just 
made  with  him. 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN    THE    OLD    WORKINGS. MISLED    BY    AN    ALTERED    LINE. 

ME.  JONES  was  expecting  Derrick  that  evening,  and 
was  waiting  somewhat  impatiently  for  him.  When 
the  boy  at  last  arrived  he  was  taken  into  the  library,  where, 
as  soon  as  the  door  was  closed,  the  mine  boss  asked : 

"Well,  Derrick,  have  you  heard  anything  more  about 
the  meeting  ?" 

"  Not  a  word,  sir." 

"  To-morrow  is  the  27th,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  know  it  is." 

"  And  my  fate,  and  perhaps  yours  too,  may  be  decided 
within  twenty-four  hours  from  now." 

At  this  Derrick  started ;  he  had  not  realized  that  he  was 
in  any  particular  danger. 

"  Do  you  think,  sir,  they  would  pay  any  attention  to  a  boy 
like  me  V^  he  asked. 

"  I  certainly  do,"  replied  the  mine  boss.  "  They  would 
pay  attention  to  anybody  or  anything  that  stood  in  their 
way,  or  seemed  likely  to  interfere  with  their  plans.  I  am 
afraid,  from  what  Job  Taskar  said  the  other  day,  that  they 
consider  your  presence  in  the  mine  as  dangerous  to  them. 

9 


1 1 8    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

I  am  sorry  that  my  liking  for  you,  and  efforts  to  promote 
your  interests,  should  have  placed  you  in  such  an  unpleasant 
position.  If  you  like  I  will  try  and  get  you  a  place  as  er- 
rand boy  in  the  main  office  of  the  company,  where  you  will 
be  in  1:10  danger." 

"  Oh  no,  sir !"  exclaimed  Derrick.  "  Please  don't  think 
of  such  a  thing.  I'd  rather  take  my  chances  with  the  Mol- 
lies in  the  mine  than  go  into  an  office.  There  I  should 
never  be  anything  but  a  clerk ;  while  here  I  may  some  day 
become  an  engineer,  as  my  father  was.  Don't  you  think  I 
may,  sir  ?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  other,  smiling  at  the  boy's  earnest- 
ness, "  I  think  any  boy  of  ordinary  intelligence  and  blessed 
with  good  health  can  in  time  occupy  any  position  he 
chooses,  if  he  directs  his  whole  energy  in  that  direction,  and 
makes  up  his  mind  that  no  obstacle  shall  turn  him  from  it." 

"  I  have  made  a  beginning,  sir,"  said  Derrick,  much  en- 
couraged by  these  words  from  one  who  was  so  greatly  his 
superior  in  age,  knowledge,  and  position,  and  whose  opinion 
he  valued  so  highly. 

"  Have  you  ?"  asked  the  mine  boss,  with  a  kindly  interest. 
"In  what  way?" 

"  I  am  studying  my  father's  books,  and  trying  to  work 
out  problems  from  some  old  plans  I  found  among  his  pa- 
pers. One  of  them  is  a  plan  of  the  very  oldest  workings  of 
this  mine,  and  I  have  brought  a  tracing  of  a  part  of  it  to 
show  you." 

"  Very  good,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  glancing  at  the  tracing  care- 


In  the  Old  Workings,  119 

lesslj.  "I  have  no  doubt  that  in  time  you  will  become  a 
famous  engineer." 

Although  this  was  spoken  kindly  enough,  it  was  evident 
that  the  speaker's  thoughts  were  far  away,  probably  trying 
to  devise  some  means  for  being  present  at  the  approaching 
meeting  in  the  mine. 

looting  this.  Derrick  said,  "  I  did  not  bring  the  tracing 
just  to  show  what  sort  of  work  I  could  do,  sir,  but  because 
I  think  it  will  lead  us  to  where  we  can  hear  what  they  say 
at  that  meeting." 

Instantly  the  mine  boss  exhibited  a  new  interest.  "  Ex- 
plain it,"  he  said. 

Then  Derrick  told  him  of  the  old  drift -mouth  he  had 
discovered,  and  said  he  felt  confident  that  if  they  followed 
the  gangway  leading  in  from  it  they  would  reach  the  top 
of  the  old  air-shaft  into  which  Bill  Tooley  had  fallen,  and  up 
which  had  come  the  voices  of  the  Mollies  at  their  previous 
meeting. 

"  If  we  could  get  there  by  this  back  way  it  would  be  capi- 
tal 1"  exclaimed  the  mine  boss.  "  In  that  case  my  presence 
in  the  mine  would  be  unknown  and  unsuspected ;  whereas, 
if  we  should  go  in  as  you  did,  from  the  other  end  of  the 
old  gangway,  we  could  hardly  escape  discovery.  If  that 
route  proves  practicable  a  great  load  is  lifted  from  my 
mind ;  for,  somehow  or  other,  I  must  find  out  what  these 
Mollies  are  up  to.  You  are  of  course  sure  of  the  correct- 
ness of  the  plans  ?" 

"My  father  drew  them,"  answered  Derrick. 


120    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

"  I  was  not  questioning  your  father's  accuracy ;  I  only 
wanted  to  know  if  this  tracing  was  an  exact  copy  of  the 
original." 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is,"  answered  Derrick,  though  with  a  slight 
hesitation  in  his  voice  as  he  thought  of  the  one  place  he 
had  not  been  quite  sure  of.  This  was  where  the  plan  had 
been  somewhat  blotted  and  blurred,  so  that  he  could  not 
see  whether  or  not  two  lines  joined  each  other.  Having 
made  up  his  mind  that  they  ought  to  be  joined,  he  had  thus 
drawn  them  on  his  tracing.  It  was  such  a  small  thing  that 
he  did  not  consider  it  worth  mentioning.  Thus,  without 
meaning  to  make  a  false  statement,  he  said  that  his  tracing 
was  an  exact  copy  of  the  original,  and  by  so  doing  prepared 
the  way  for  the  serious  consequences  that  followed. 

Derrick  was  a  fine,  manly  fellow,  and  was  possessed  of 
noble  traits  of  character,  but  like  many  another  boy  he 
was  inclined  to  be  conceited,  and  to  imagine  that  he  knew 
as  much  if  not  a  little  more  than  his  elders.  Nor  was  he 
backward  in  parading  his  knowledge,  or  even  of  allowing 
it  to  appear  greater  than  it  really  was. 

In  the  present  instance  he  was  proud  of  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  by  the  mine  boss,  and  of  the  skill  with  which 
he  had  prepared  the  plan  of  operations  they  were  now  dis- 
cussing. It  really  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  about  to  be- 
come the  leader  in  a  very  difiicult  enterprise  in  which  the 
other  was  to  be  a  follower. 

The  mine  boss,  with  a  quick  penetration  of  human  char- 
acter, gained  by  yeai's  of  study  and  experience,  suspected 


In  the  Old  Workings.  1^1 

something  of  this  weakness  on  Derrick's  part,  but  did  not 
consider  that  either  the  proper  time  or  opportunity  had  yet 
come  for  warning  him  against  it. 

So  Derrick's  plan  was  discussed  in  all  its  details,  and  be- 
fore they  separated  that  night  it  was  adopted. 

In  order  that  the  mistake  made  by  Derrick  in  his  slight 
alteration  of  the  plan  of  the  old  workings,  as  shown  in  his 
tracing,  may  be  understood,  a  few  words  of  explanation  are 
necessary. 

The  old  drift-mouth,  that  he  had  discovered  almost  hidden 
beneath  a  tangle  of  vines  and  bushes,  was  on  a  mountain  side 
above  a  deep  valley.  Farther  down  was  the  mouth  of  a 
second  drift,  which  he  had  not  discovered,  and  knew  noth- 
ing of.  On  tlie  opposite  side  of  the  mountain  was  another 
valley,  the  bottom  of  which  was  on  about  the  same  level  as 
the  higher  of  these  drifts.  The  old  workings  ran  from  them 
through  the  mountain,  and  under  this  valley  in  which  the 
present  colliery  was  located. 

When  the  gangway  from  the  upper  of  the  two  drifts  had 
been  opened  as  far  as  the  valley,  the  vein  that  it  followed 
took  a  sudden  dip.  The  gangway  was  in  consequence 
changed  into  a  slope,  which  finally  led  into  the  workings 
beneath.  Some  time  after  they  had  been  abandoned  a  great 
"  break  "  or  cave-in  of  the  ground  above  there  had  occurred 
at  the  edge  of  the  valley,  and  by  it  an  opening  was  made 
into  the  lower  set  of  workings.  It  was  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  valley  from  this  break  that  the  new  workings 
were  now  being  pushed  ;  and  somewhere  between  it  and 


122     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

them  was  the  old  air-shaft  and  the  chamber  that  the  Mollies 
had  selected  as  their  place  of  secret  meeting. 

Now  Derrick  had  got  hold  of  a  plan  of  the  lower  set  of 
these  old  workings  which  he  knew  nothing  of,  and  thought 
it  was  a  plan  of  the  upper  set,  which  in  reality  only  ex- 
tended to  the  edge  of  the  valley.  He  knew  that  the  upper 
drift-mouth  was  on  about  the  same  level  as  the  top  of  the 
old  air-shaft,  and  thought  he  had  a  plan  showing  that  the 
two  were  connected.  He  reasoned  that  by  entering  the  old 
gangway  at  the  break,  and  following  it  under  the  valley,  they 
would  not  only  save  distance,  but  would  be  conducted  di- 
rectly to  the  top  of  the  air-shaft  which  they  wished  to  reach. 
By  the  joining  of  those  two  lines  at  the  blurred  place  on 
the  plan  it  was  made  to  conform  so  perfectly  to  this  theory 
that  he  felt  satisfied  his  conclusions  were  correct,  and  conse- 
quently made  his  confident  statements  to  Mr.  Jones. 

The  latter  had  been  connected  with  the  Raven  Brook 
Colliery  but  a  few  months,  and  knew  nothing  of  its  old  and 
abandoned  workings,  not  yet  having  found  time  to  study 
their  plans  or  explore  them.  He  did  know,  however,  that 
Mr.  Sterling  had  been  one  of  the  company's  most  trusted 
engineers,  and  that  Derrick  had  long  been  interested  in  por- 
ing over  and  tracing  his  father's  plans  of  these  very  workings. 
When,  therefore,  he  had  carefully  examined  the  tracing 
that  the  boy  had  made,  and  now  assured  him  was  an  exact 
copy  of  the  original  plan,  and  found  that  it  showed  a  system 
of  galleries  by  which  the  top  of  the  air-shaft  might  be  gained 
from  the  break,  he  had  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  they 


In  the  Old  Workings.  123 

would  make  the  attempt  to  reach  it  from  that  direction. 
Had  he  sent  for  the  original  plan  he  would  have  quickly 
discovered  Derrick's  error.  He  thought  of  doing  this,  but 
did  not,  for  fear  of  wounding  the  lad's  feelings  by  appearing 
to  mistrust  him. 

It  was  arranged  between  them  that  Mr.  Jones  should 
leave  the  village  on  the  afternoon  of  the  27th,  as  though 
bound  on  some  distant  expedition,  and  have  it  understood 
that  he  might  possibly  be  absent  all  night.  An  hour  before 
sundown  he  was  to  be  at  the  break,  prepared  to  explore  the 
old  gangway  to  which  it  gave  entrance.  Here  Derrick  was 
to  meet  him,  after  having  left  the  mine  an  hour  earlier  than 
usual,  gone  home  for  supper,  and  told  his  mother  that  he 
should  be  out  late  on  some  business  for  the  mine  boss. 

This  plan  was  successfully  followed,  without  suspicion  be- 
ing aroused,  and  the  young  mine  boss  met  his  boy  compan- 
ion at  the  appointed  time  and  place.  They  both  had  safety- 
lamps,  and  each  carried  a  small  can  of  oil,  for  they  did  not 
know  how  long  they  might  have  to  remain  in  the  mine. 

In  the  break  they  found  a  rickety  ladder  that  had  been 
placed  there  for  the  use  of  the  village  children,  who  were 
accustomed  to  come  here  with  baskets,  and  in  a  small  way 
mine  coal  for  home  use  from  the  sides  of  the  old  gangway. 
Descending  this,  they  lighted  their  lamps  at  the  bottom, 
and  entering  the  black  opening  began  to  follow  the  path 
marked  out  on  Derrick's  tracing. 

For  some  distance  the  way  was  comparatively  smooth, 
and  they  made   rapid  progress.     Then  they  began  to  en- 


124    Derrick  Sterlmg:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

counter  various  obstacles.  Here  a  mass  of  rock  liad  fallen 
from  the  roof,  and  they  must  clamber  over  it.  In  another 
place  a  quantity  of  waste  material  had  so  dammed  a  ditch 
that  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  the  gangway  was  flooded 
with  cold,  black  water,  through  which  they  had  to  wade. 
It  was  above  their  knees,  and,  filling  their  rubber  boots,  made 
them  so  heavy  as  to  greatly  impede  their  progress.  In  sev- 
eral places  where  the  old  timber  props  had  rotted  out,  such 
masses  of  rubbish  choked  the  gangway  that  they  were 
compelled  to  crawl  on  their  hands  and  knees  for  long  dis- 
tances through  the  low  spaces  that  were  still  left.  Once 
they  were  on  the  point  of  turning  back,  but  animated  by 
the  importance  of  their  errand  they  kept  on,  cheering  each 
other  with  the  thought  that  they  would  not  be  obliged  to 
come  back  this  same  way  in  order  to  leave  the  mine. 

During  the  earlier  portion  of  the  journey,  as  they  en- 
countered these  obstacles,  the  mine  boss  urged,  and  almost 
commanded.  Derrick  to  go  back,  and  leave  him  to  continue 
the  undertaking  alone.  In  spite  of  some  faults  the  lad  was 
no  coward,  and  he  begged  so  earnestly  to  be  allowed  to  keep 
on  that  the  other  consented,  on  condition  that  no  greater 
danger  presented  itself. 

At  length  they  had  overcome  so  many  difficulties  that  the 
road  behind  them  fairly  bristled  with  dangers,  and  the 
young  man  felt  it  would  be  an  act  of  cruelty  to  send  tlie 
boy  back  to  encounter  them  alone. 

Now  and  then,  as  they  crawled  over  piles  of  fallen  debris, 
and  there  was  but  little  space  between  them  and  the  roof, 


In  the  Old  Workings,  125 

the  flames  within  their  safety-lamps  burned  faint  and  blue, 
and  they  breathed  with  great  difficulty.  The  mine  boss 
knew  they  were  passing  through  spaces  filled  with  the 
deadly  "fire-damp,"  and  he  urged  Derrick  to  make  all  pos- 
sible haste  towards  more  open  places  where  they  could  keep 
below  its  influence. 

They  passed  through  a  door  in  a  fair  state  of  preserva- 
tion, but  fairly  covered  with  the  pure  white  fungous  growth 
of  glistening  frost-like  sprays,  which  in  the  mine  are  called 
"  water  crystals."  Everywhere  were  the  signs  of  loiig  neg- 
lect and  decay,  and  unenlivened  by  the  cheering  sounds 
of  human  toil  the  place  was  weird  and  awful.  The  very 
drippings  from  the  roof  fell  with  an  uncanny  splash  that 
struck  a  chill  into  Derrick's  heart.  Long  before  they  reached 
the  end  of  their  journey  he  regretted  having  planned  and 
proposed  it;  but  he  bravely  kept  his  fears  and  regrets  to 
himself,  and  plodded  sturdily  on  behind  his  companion.  As 
for  the  latter,  his  thoughts  were  also  of  a  most  dismal  char- 
acter. He  realized  even  more  fully  than  Derrick  the  dan- 
gerous position  in  which  they  had  placed  themselves,  and 
felt  that  his  experience  should  have  warned  him  against 
such  an  undertaking. 

Meantime  those  who  were  to  meet  in  the  old  chamber  at 
the  bottom  of  the  air-shaft  were  already  gathered  together, 
and  were  earnestly  discussing  the  affairs  of  their  order. 
Job  Taskar,  as  presiding  officer,  made  a  long  speech.  In  it 
he  denounced  the  mine  boss  for  discharging  several  of  their 
members,  and  refusing  to  take  them  back,  though  petitioned 


126    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

to  do  so  by  a  large  number  of  those  who  remained  at  work. 
He  also  charged  him  with  placing  a  spy  in  the  mine  in  the 
person  of  Derrick  Sterling,  and  of  having  removed  the  son 
of  one  of  their  most  prominent  members  to  make  room  for 
him.     At  this  point  he  looked  steadily  at  Monk  Tooley. 

"  Don't  yer  say  nothin'  agin  Derrick  Sterling,"  growled 
that  miner,  "  fer  I  won't  hear  ter  it.  He's  doin'  fer  my  lad 
this  minute  what  dere  isn't  anoder  man  in  de  meetin*  er 
in  Raven  Brook  Colliery,  nor  I  don't  believe  in  de  State, 
would  ha'  done  in  his  place." 

"  Do  yer  know  what  he's  doing  it  for  ?"  interrupted  an- 
other member,  springing  to  his  feet.  "  No,  yer  don't,  an'  yer 
can't  make  a  guess  at  it ;  but  I  can  tell  yer.  It's  for  revenge, 
an'  nothing  else.  I  heerd  him  say  it  his  own  self  to  Paul 
the  cripple,  coming  down  the  slope,  only  yesterday  morning. 
'  I'm  taking  out  my  revenge  on  him,'  says  he ;  them's  his 
very  words." 

"  All  right,"  replied  Monk  Tooley,  "  if  yer  heerd  him  say 
it,  den  he's  doin'  it  fer  revenge,  and  it's  de  biggest  kind  of 
revenge  I  ever  knowed  of  a  man  or  a  boy  ter  take  out  on  an- 
oder. Do  yer  know  dat  he's  give  up  his  own  bed  ter  my 
Bill,  an'  dat  he  sets  up  nights  a-waitin'  on  him  an'  a-nussin' 
of  him  ?  No,  yer  don't  know  nothin'  about  it,  an'  I  don't 
want  ter  hear  anoder  word  from  yer  agin  him.  I'm  his 
friend,  I  am." 

An  awkward  silence  followed  this  announcement,  for  the 
members  thought  that  perhaps  if  Monk  Tooley  were  Der- 
rick Sterling's  friend,  he  might  also  be  a  friend  of  the  mine 


In  the  Old  Workings,  129 

boss,  whom  they  had  almost  decided  should  be  put  out  of 
the  way. 

The  silence  was  finally  broken  by  Job  Taskar,  who  asked 
sarcastically  if  Monk  Tooley  knew  who  stole  his  three 
checks  from  the  check-board  two  days  before. 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  answered  the  miner,  promptly. 

"Then  you  know  it  was  this  same  sneaking  boss's  pet, 
Derrick  Sterling.'^ 

"No,  I  don't." 

"  I  tell  you  I  saw  him  do  it !"  cried  Job,  in  a  rage.  "  Him 
and  the  hunchback  went  up  to  the  board  together,  and  when 
the  boss  stepped  away,  so  they  thought  nobody  wasn't  look- 
ing, the  pet  slipped  'em  into  his  pocket.  I  saw  it  with  my 
own  eyes." 

"  An'  I  tell  yer  yer  lie !"  shouted  Monk  Tooley.  "  Here's 
de  checks,  an'  dey  come  outen  yer  own  pocket,  yer  black- 
hearted old  scoundrel !" 

At  these  astounding  words  Job  Taskar  sprang  towards 
Monk  Tooley  with  clinched  fists,  as  though  about  to  strike 
him,  and  all  present  watched  for  the  encounter  in  breathless 
suspense. 

Just  then  the  door  behind  them  was  pushed  open,  and 
standing  on  its  threshold  they  saw  the  mine  boss  and  Der- 
rick Sterling. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A   FATAL    EXPLOSION    OF    FIRE-DAMP. 

AT  this  startling  apparition  of  the  last  two  persons  in  the 
^  world  whom  they  would  have  expected  to  see  in  that 
place,  the  assembled  miners  remained  for  some  moments  mo- 
tionless with  astonishment.  Having  stationed  a  trusty  sen- 
tinel at  the  end  of  the  gangway  nearest  the  new  workings, 
who  was  to  give  them  instant  warning  of  the  approach  of 
any  outsider,  they  imagined  themselves  perfectly  safe  from 
interruption.  They  had  not  considered  the  possibility  of  an 
approach  from  the  rear  through  the  abandoned  workings, 
for  they  were  generally  believed  to  be  impassable  owing  to 
deadly  gases  and  the  quantity  of  material  that  had  fallen  in 
them.  Thus  the  unannounced  appearance  of  the  very  per- 
sons whose  fate  they  had  just  been  discussing  seemed  al- 
most supernatural,  and  a  feeling  of  dread  pervaded  the  as- 
sembly. 

On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Jones  and  his  companion  were 
equally,  if  not  more  greatly,  dismayed.  Having  approached 
the  door  during  a  momentary  silence  among  the  miners, 
they  had  not  been  warned  by  any  sound  of  what  they  should 
find  beyond  it.     Thinking  that  they  were  upon  an  upper 


A  Fatal  Explosiofi  of  Fire-damp.  1 3 1 

level,  and  separated  from  their  enemies  by  many  feet  of 
solid  rock,  they  suddenly  found  themselves  in  their  very 
midst. 

At  the  first  view  of  what  was  disclosed  by  the  opening 
door.  Derrick  uttered  a  little  frightened  cry,  and  involunta- 
rily drew  back  as  though  about  to  run  away.  It  was  only  a 
momentary  impulse.  In  an  instant  his  courage  returned, 
the  hot  blood  surged  into  his  face,  and  stepping  boldly  for- 
ward, he  stood  beside  the  mine  boss,  determined  to  share 
whatever  fate  was  in  store  for  him. 

Among  the  Mollies  the  first  to  recover  from  his  stupefac- 
tion was  Job  Taskar,  who,  crying  "Here  they  are,  lads! 
Now  we've  got  'em  !"  made  a  spring  at  the  mine  boss,  with 
clinched  fist  still  uplifted,  as  it  had  been  to  strike  Monk 
Tooley. 

The  black  muzzle  of  a  revolver  promptly  presented  to 
his  face  by  the  steady  hand  of  the  young  man  caused  him 
to  stagger  back  with  a  snarl  of  baffled  rage.  Taking  a  cou- 
ple of  steps  forward,  which  motion  Derrick  followed,  and 
standing  in  full  view  of  all  the  Mollies,  with  the  revolver 
still  held  in  his  hand  where  it  could  be  plainly  seen,  the 
mine  boss  said : 

"  My  men,  I  want  you  to  excuse  this  interruption  to  your 
meeting,  and  listen  to  me  for  a  few  minutes.  I  think  I 
know  why  you  are  thus  assembled  in  secret.  It  is  to  decide 
upon  some  means  of  getting  rid  of  me  and  of  my  young 
friend  Derrick  Sterling.  You  have  been  taught  by  this 
man  that  we  are  your  enemies,  and  are  working  against  your 


132     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

interests.  Let  me  give  you  a  few  facts  that  will  serve  to 
show  who  are  your  real  enemies,  and  who  are  your  true 
friends. 

"  Job  Taskar  is,  I  believe,  your  Body-master  and  leader. 
He  has  told  you  that  this  lad  is  a  spy,  sent  into  the  mine  to 
discover  your  secrets  and  work  against  you.  He  hates  Der- 
rick Sterling.     Why  ? 

"  A  few  years  ago  Job  Taskar  was  blacksmith  to  a  distant 
colliery  in  another  district.  This  lad's  father  was  engineer 
in  the  same  mine.  Taskar  was  paid  by  the  men  for  sharp- 
ening their  tools,  so  much  for  each  one.  They  were  com- 
pelled to  go  to  him  by  the  rules  of  the  colliery.  He  so  de- 
stroyed the  temper  of  the  drills  and  other  tools  brought  to 
him  as  to  make  them  require  sharpening  much  oftener  than 
they  would  if  he  had  done  his  work  honestly.  He  was  thus 
stealing  much  of  the  miners'  hard-earned  wages.  Mr.  Ster- 
ling found  this  out,  procured  Taskar's  discharge  from  the 
works,  and  had  an  honest  man  put  in  his  place.  When  the 
same  gentleman  found  the  same  dishonest  blacksmith  work- 
ing in  this  mine  he  warned  him  that  if  he  caught  him  at 
any  of  his  old  tricks  he  would  have  him  discharged  from 
here.  Now  Taskar  hates  that  engineer's  son,  and  wants  to 
have  him  put  out  of  the  way.     Do  you  wonder  at  it  ? 

"  He  wants  me  removed  for  a  much  more  simple  reason. 
It  is  that  he  would  like  to  be  mine  boss  in  my  place.  This 
would  so  increase  his  influence  in  your  society  that  he  might 
in  time  be  made  a  county  delegate,  and  live  without  further 
labor  upon  money  extorted  from  hard-working  miners." 


A  Fatal  Explosion  of  Fire-damp.  1 33 

At  this  point  the  members  glanced  uneasily  at  each  other. 
They  were  amazed  at  the  knowledge  showed  by  the  mine 
boss  of  their  affairs. 

"  Now,  my  men,  a  few  more  words  and  I  am  through," 
continued  the  speaker.  "  In  regard  to  those  of  your  num- 
ber whom  I  discharged,  and  refused  to  take  back,  although 
petitioned  to  do  so,  you  know  who  they  are,  and  I  needn't 
mention  names.  I  will  only  say  that  they  were  detected  in 
an  attempt  to  injure  the  pumps  and  destroy  the  fans.  Had 
they  succeeded  the  colliery  would  have  been  closed,  and  all 
hands  thrown  out  of  work  for  an  indefinite  length  of  time. 
You  would  have  been  in  danger  from  fire-damp  and  water. 
Probably  some  lives  would  have  been  lost.  They  were  un- 
scrupulous men,  and  had  they  succeeded  in  their  villany 
you  would  have  been  the  greatest  sufferers. 

"  As  for  you,  sir,"  he  said,  sternly,  turning  to  Job  Taskar, 
"  I  have  long  had  my  eye  on  you,  and  have  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  this  mine  and  all  employed  in  it  would  be  bet- 
ter off  if  you  should  leave  it.  I  therefore  take  this  oppor- 
tunity to  discharge  you  from  this  company's  service.  If 
after  to-night  you  ever  enter  this  mine  again  it  will  be  at 
your  peril." 

The  man  was  too  thoroughly  cowed  by  the  boldness  of 
this  proceeding  to  utter  a  word,  and  when  the  young  mine 
boss,  saying  "  Come,  Derrick,"  and  "  Good-evening,  men," 
suddenly  stepped  outside  the  door  and  closed  it,  he  stood 
for  an  instant  motionless.  Then  with  a  howl  of  ''Stop  'em ! 
Don't  let  'em  escape !"  he  tore  open  the  door  and  sprang 


134    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Miiies. 

into  the  gangway  beyond.  It  was  silent  and  dark,  not  even 
a  glimmer  of  light  betraying  the  presence  or  existence  of 
those  who  had  but  that  moment  left  the  chamber. 

For  a  brief  space  the  man  stood  bewildered,  and  then  be- 
gan to  run  towards  the  door  that  opened  into  the  new  work- 
ings. Several  of  the  miners  followed  him  until  they  came 
to  where  their  sentinel  stood.  He,  watchful  and  on  the  alert, 
as  he  had  been  ever  since  they  left  him  there,  was  greatly 
surprised  at  their  haste  and  the  impatient  demands  made  of 
him  as  to  why  he  had  allowed  two  persons  to  pass.  Of 
course  he  stoutly  denied  having  done  so,  and  declared  he 
had  seen  no  living  being  since  taking  his  station  at  that 
place. 

"  Then  they're  back  in  the  old  workings,  lads,  and  we'll 
have  'em  yet,"  cried  Job  Taskar.  "  They  can't  get  out,  for 
the  gangway's  choked  beyond.  They  must  have  been  hid 
yonder  near  the  place  of  meeting  since  lunch-time,  waiting 
for  us,  and  they're  hid  now,  waiting  till  we  leave,  so's  they 
can  sneak  out.  But  they  can't  fool  us  any  more,  an'  we'll 
get  'em  this  time." 

With  this  the  man,  fuming  with  rage  and  disappointed 
hate,  turned  and  retraced  his  steps  up  the  gangway,  fol- 
lowed by  four  of  his  companions.  The  rest  of  the  Mollies, 
feeling  that  no  more  business  would  be  transacted  that  even- 
ing, and  having  no  inclination  to  join  in  the  human  hunt, 
dispersed  to  different  parts  of  the  new  workings,  or  went  up 
the  slopes  to  the  surface.  Monk  Tooley  stayed  behind,  not 
for  the  purpose  of  joining  in  the  pursuit  of  the  m.iiie  boss 


SUDDENLY   THERE  CAME   A   BLINDING    FLASH,  A   ROAR  AS   OF   A   CANNON. 


A  Fatal  Explosion  of  Fire-damp.  lyj 

and  his  companion,  but  with  a  vague  idea  of  protecting 
Derrick  from  harm  in  case  they  should  be  caught. 

Led  by  Job  Taskar,  the  four  Mollies  eagerly  and  carefully 
explored  every  foot  of  the  gangway,  and  even  climbed  up 
into  several  worked-out  breasts  at  its  side,  thinking  the  fugi- 
tives might  be  hidden  in  them. 

After  surmounting  several  minor  obstacles,  they  finally 
came  to  one  that  was  much  more  serious.  It  was  a  mass  of 
fallen  debris  that  filled  the  gangway  to  within  a  couple  of 
feet  of  its  roof,  and  extended  for  a  long  distance.  Think- 
ing that  perhaps  it  completely  choked  the  passage  a  few 
yards  farther  on,  and  that  he  might  now  find  those  whom 
he  sought  in  hiding,  like  foxes  run  to  earth,  Taskar  eagerly 
scrambled  up  over  the  loose  rocks  and  chunks  of  coal,  reach- 
ing the  top  while  his  followers  were  still  at  some  distance 
behind. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  blinding  flash,  a  roar  as  of  a  can- 
non discharged  in  that  confined  space,  a  furious  rush  of  air 
that  extinguished  every  light  and  shrouded  the  gangway  in 
a  profound  darkness,  and  the  rattling  crash  of  falling  rocks 
and  broken  timbers.  The  Mollies  who  followed  Job  were 
hurled,  stunned  and  bleeding,  to  the  floor  of  the  gangway. 
Even  Monk  Tooley,  who  was  at  a  considerable  distance  be- 
hind them,  was  thrown  violently  against  one  of  the  side 
walls.  As  for  Job  Taskar,  he  lay  dead  on  the  heap  of  debris 
over  which  he  had  been  climbing  when  the  uncovered  flame 
of  his  lamp  ignited  the  terrible  fire-damp  that  hung  close 
under  the  roof.    He  was  burned  almost  beyond  recognition, 


138    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

and  the  clothes  were  torn  from  his  body.  Among  the  frag- 
ments of  these  afterwards  picked  up  was  found  a  portion 
of  a  letter  which  read : 

^''It  will  he  impossible  to  obtain  the  position  until 
position  must  be  supported  by  a  number  of  votes  wh 

when  you  become  m^ine  boss. 
"  You  know  as  well  as  anybody  that  a  county  delega 

When  the  battered  and  bruised  miners  had  recovered 
their  senses,  relighted  their  lamps,  and  ascertained  the  fate 
of  their  leader,  they  were  content  to  drag  themselves  out 
from  the  gangway  without  pursuing  any  further  the  search 
in  which  they  had  been  engaged.  Fortunately  for  them  the 
quantity  of  gas  exploded  had  been  small,  else  they  might 
have  been  instantly  killed,  or  the  gangway  so  shattered  as 
to  completely  bar  their  way  of  escape,  and  hold  them  buried 
alive  between  its  black  walls.  As  it  was,  it  brought  down  a 
great  mass  of  debris  on  top  of  that  already  fallen,  and  so 
choked  the  passage  beyond  where  Job  Taskar's  body  lay 
that  it  was  effectually  closed. 

Although  Derrick  and  the  mine  boss  were  far  in  advance 
of  their  pursuers,  and  had  already  passed  most  of  the  obsta- 
cles to  their  rapid  progress,  they  were  very  sensible  of  the 
shock  of  the  explosion  when  it  occurred.  The  rush  of  air 
that  immediately  followed  was  strong  enough  to  extinguish 
their  safety  -  lamps,  and  cause  them  to  stagger,  but  it  did 
them  no  injury. 


A  Fatal  Explosion  of  Fire-damp.  1 39 

When  these  two  had  so  suddenly  stepped  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Mollies,  and  slammed  the  door  in  their  faces, 
they  had  instantly  extinguished  their  lamps,  and  started  on 
a  run  back  through  the  gangway  by  which  they  had  come. 
Of  course,  in  the  utter  darkness,  they  could  not  run  fast 
nor  far,  but  they  were  well  beyond  the  circle  of  light  from 
Job  Taskar's  lamp  when  he  sprang  out  after  them,  and 
that  was  all  they  wanted.  When  they  saw  the  little  cluster 
of  flickering  lights  borne  by  the  Mollies  disappear  in  the 
opposite  direction  from  that  they  were  taking,  they  felt 
greatly  relieved,  and  a  few  minutes  later  ventured  to  relight 
their  own  lamps  and  continue  their  retreat. 

''  Looks  as  if  we'd  got  to  go  out  the  way  we  came  in, 
after  all,  doesn't  it,  sir?"  said  Derrick,  who  was  the  first  to 
speak. 

"  It  does  rather  look  that  way,"  answered  the  mine  boss, 
"but  I'd  rather  risk  it,  under  the  circumstances,  than  face 
those  fellows  just  now.  They  have  had  a  chance  to  recover 
from  their  surprise  at  our  appearance,  and  some  of  them 
are  as  mad  as  hornets  to  think  they  let  us  go.  A  moment's 
hesitation  when  we  opened  that  door  and  found  ourselves 
among  them  would  probably  have  cost  us  our  lives.  Our 
very  boldness  was  all  that  saved  us.  A  danger  boldly  faced 
is  robbed  of  half  its  terrors. 

"  By-the-way,  Derrick,  our  coming  on  those  fellows  as  we 
did  was  a  most  remarkable  thing.  I  thought  your  tracing 
was  leading  us  to  the  top  of  the  air-shaft  instead  of  to  the 
chamber  at  its  bottom.     We  must  be  on  a  lower  level  than 


140    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

we  thought.  How  do  you  account  for  it  ?  Can  you  have 
made  a  mistake  in  regard  to  the  plans  ?" 

Derrick's  heart  sank  within  him  as  he  remembered  the 
weak  spot  in  his  tracing ;  but  he  answered,  "  I  don't  tliink 
so,  sir ;  though  it  does  look  as  if  something  was  wrong." 

Here  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  difficulties  of 
the  road,  for  they  had  reached  the  mass  of  fallen  debris  that 
blocked  Job  Taskar's  way  a  little  later. 

As  they  crawled  on  hands  and  knees  over  the  obstruction, 
the  mine  boss  said,  hoarsely,  and  with  great  difficulty,  "  Hur- 
ry, boy !  there's  gas  enough  here  to  kill  us  if  we  breathe  it 
many  minutes.  If  we  had  naked  lights  instead  of  safeties 
we'd  be  blown  into  eternity." 

After  they  had  safely  passed  this  danger  he  said,  "1 
hope  with  all  my  heart  that  those  fellows  won't  come  that 
way  looking  for  us ;  there's  sure  to  be  an  explosion  if  they 
do.  I  don't  believe  they  will,  though,"  he  added,  after  a 
moment's  reflection ;  "  they're  too  old  hands  to  expose  them- 
selves needlessly  to  the  fire-damp." 

They  had  again  waded  through  the  icy  water,  which  the 
mine  boss  said  he  must  have  drawn  off  before  it  increased 
so  as  to  be  dangerous,  and  were  well  along  towards  the  open- 
ing into  the  break,  when  the  muffled  sound  of  the  explo- 
sion reached  their  ears. 

"  There's  trouble  back  there !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jones,  as  he 
relighted  their  lamps,  which  the  rush  of  air  had  extinguished, 
"  and  I'm  afraid  that  somebody  has  got  hurt.  You  go  on 
out,  Derrick,  and  I'll  go  back  and  see.     No,  I  won't,  either. 


A  Fatal  Explosion  of  Fire-damp,  141 

I  can  get  there  as  quickly,  and  do  more  good,  by  going  round 
outside  and  down  the  slope.     Come,  let  us  run." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  had  reached  the  bottom  of  the 
break,  climbed  the  rickety  ladder,  and  once  more  they  stood 
in  safety  beneath  the  starlit  sky  of  the  outer  world. 

"Eight  o'clock,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  looking  at  his  watch. 
u  ^e've  been  in  there  three  hours,  Derrick,  and  seen  some 
pretty  lively  times.  What  I  can't  understand,  though,  is 
how  we  got  in  on  that  lower  level.  Never  mind  now ;  we 
must  run,  for  I'm  anxious  about  that  explosion." 

The  news  of  the  disaster  in  the  mine  had  already  reached 
the  surface,  but  nobody  knew  exactly  how  or  where  it  had 
taken  place.  A  crowd  of  people,  including  many  women 
and  children,  was  rapidly  gathering  about  the  mouth  of  the 
slope,  anxious  to  learn  tidings  of  those  dear  to  them  who 
were  down  in  the  mine  with  the  night  shift. 

The  voice  of  the  mine  boss  calling  out  that  the  explosion 
had  occurred  in  an  abandoned  gangway,  and  that  nobody 
who  was  in  the  new  workings  was  hurt,  gave  the  first  inti- 
mation of  his  presence  among  them.  His  words  carried 
comfort  to  the  hearts  of  many  who  heard  them,  but  filled 
with  dismay  the  minds  of  those  who  had  seen  him  but  a 
short  time  before  at  the  underground  meeting.  They  had 
thought  he  must  surely  be  still  in  the  mine,  and  could  in  no 
way  account  for  his  presence,  for  they  knew  positively  that 
he  had  not  come  up  by  the  slope  or  the  travelling-road. 

While  the  mine  boss  was  speaking.  Derrick  felt  a  hand 
on  his  shoulder,  and  turning,  he  saw  Paul  Evert,  who  ex- 


142     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mijies, 

claimed,  joyfully,  "  Oh,  Derrick,  Fm  so  glad  !  I  was  afraid 
you  were  down  in  the  mine,  and  I  was  going  to  help  hunt 
for  you." 

"  No,  Polly,  I'm  all  right,  as  you  can  see ;  but  I  wish  you'd 
run  home  and  tell  mother  I  am — will  you  f ' 

Paul  went  willingly  to  do  this,  and  Derrick  prepared  to 
follow  the  mine  boss  once  more  into  the  underground 
depths,  to  render  what  assistance  he  could. 

They  were  about  to  step  into  an  empty  car  and  start 
down  the  slope,  when  the  signal  was  given  from  below  to 
pull  up  a  loaded  car,  and  they  waited  to  see  what  it  might 
contain.  As  it  came  slowly  to  the  surface,  and  within  the 
light  of  their  lamps,  they  saw  in  it  Monk  Tooley  and  four 
other  miners,  who,  battered  and  bruised,  had  evidently  suf- 
fered from  the  explosion. 

When  the  first  of  these  was  helped  carefully  from  the 
car,  and  his  glance  fell  upon  the  mine  boss,  with  Derrick 
Sterling  standing  beside  him,  a  look  of  fear  came  into  his 
face,  he  uttered  a  loud  cry,  staggered  back,  and  would  have 
fallen  had  not  Monk  Tooley  caught  him. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    MINE    BOSS   IN    A    DILEMMA. 

THE  companions  of  the  Mollie  who  exhibited  such  con- 
sternation at  the  sight  of  the  mine  boss  were  almost  as 
frightened  as  he  to  see  those  for  whom  they  had  been  so  re- 
cently searching  through  the  old  workings,  and  who  they 
thought  must  surely  have  been  killed  by  the  explosion, 
standing  before  them.  They  shrunk  back  as  the  young  man 
stepped  towards  them ;  but  reassured  by  his  cheery  words, 
they  allowed  him  to  help  them  from  the  car,  and  were  al- 
most ready  to  believe  that  it  was  not  he,  but  some  other, 
who  had  confronted  them  so  boldly  at  the  meeting.  He 
could  not  have  been  kinder  to  them  if  they  had  been  his 
dear  friends;  and  from  that  hour  they  ranked  among  his 
firmest  supporters  and  adherents  in  the  colliery. 

Derrick  caught  hold  of  Monk  Tooley,  and  insisted  upon 
taking  him,  as  he  said,  to  see  Bill,  and  show  him  that  he  was 
all  right.  In  reality  he  wanted  to  give  the  man  a  chance 
to  rest,  and  recover  somewhat  from  his  recent  trying  expe- 
rience, before  meeting  with  his  wife  and  children. 

Bill  Tooley,  under  kind  care,  amid  quiet  and  pleasant  sur- 
roundings, and  aided  by  his  own  strong  constitution,  was  in 


144    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

a  fair  way  to  recover  his  health  and  strength.  The  fever 
had  left  him,  and  he  was  able  to  sit  up  for  a  few  minutes 
at  a  time.  The  only  serious  trouble  seemed  to  be  with  his 
right  leg.  It  gave  him  great  pain,  and  was  threatened  with 
a  permanent  lameness.  He  already  seemed  a  different  boy 
from  what  he  had  been,  and  would  hardly  be  recognized  for 
the  bully  of  a  short  time  before.  He  gave  way  to  occasional 
outbursts  of  impatient  anger,  but  these  were  always  quieted 
by  the  gentle  presence  and  soothing  words  of  either  Mrs. 
Sterling  or  little  Helen ;  and  in  his  rough  way  he  would  ex- 
press sorrow  for  them  by  saying,  "  Don't  yer  mind  me, 
mum ;  I  don't  mean  nothin' ;  only  dis  ere  blessed  leg  gits 
de  best  of  me  sometimes."  Or  to  Helen,  "Don't  yer  be 
af eared,  sissy ;  I  know  I  talks  awful  ugly ;  but  I  ain't.  It's 
only  de  pain  of  de  leg  breakin'  out  in  bad  words." 

The  meeting  between  father  and  son  that  night,  when 
Derrick  persuaded  Monk  Tooley  to  go  home  with  him,  was 
curious  to  witness.  Bill  was  as  fond  of  his  father,  in  his 
way,  as  the  latter  was  of  him,  and  had  been  very  anxious 
when  he  knew  he  was  in  the  mine  at  the  time  of  the  explo- 
sion. Both  were  much  affected  when  Monk  stepped  to  his 
son's  bedside ;  but  they  had  no  words  to  express  their  feel- 
ings.    The  father  said, 

"  Well,  lad,  how  goes  it  ?" 

Bill  answered, "  Middlin',  feyther.  I  heerd  yer  got  blowed 
up." 

"  Well,  yer  see  I  didn't.     Job  Taskar's  killed,  though." 

**  Better  him  uor  anoder." 


The  Mine  Boss  in  a  Dilemma,  145 

"  Yes.  Yer  want  ter  be  gittin'  outen  dis,  son.  Times  is 
bard,  an'  idlin's  expensive." 

"  All  rigbt,  feytber ;  I'll  soon  be  in  de  breaker  agin." 

Tbis  was  all;  but  tbe  two  were  assured  of  eacb  otber's 
safety  and  well-being,  and  for  them  tbat  was  enougb. 

Monk  Tooley  accepted  a  cup  of  tea  from  Mrs.  Sterling, 
and  departed  witb  a  very  warm  feeling  in  bis  beart  towards 
tbose  wbo  were  doing  so  mucb  for  bis  boy. 

His  wife  and  tbe  neighbor  women,  wbo  as  usual  were 
gathered  in  her  bouse,  were  loud  in  their  exclamations  of 
pleasure  and  wonder  at  seeing  him  safe  home  again  from 
"tbe  blowing  up  of  tbe  mine,"  but  be  gruffly  bade  them 
"  be  quiet,  and  not  be  making  all  tbat  gabble  about  a  trifle." 

The  mine  boss  took  an  early  opportunity  to  examine  the 
plans  of  tbe  old  workings,  and  soon  discovered  tbe  slight  dif- 
ference between  them  and  Derrick's  tracing  tbat  they  bad  fol- 
lowed in  their  recent  expedition.  Summoning  tbe  boy,  he 
pointed  it  out,  and  asked  him  whether  be  bad  made  a  mis- 
take in  copying  the  plan,  or  bad  purposely  made  tbe  altera- 
tion that  had  led  to  such  serious  consequences. 

Derrick  confessed  tbat  he  bad  added  a  little  to  one  line  of 
the  plan,  because  be  thought  the  line  was  intended  to  go  that 
way,  and  when  he  drew  it  so  it  seemed  to  make  everything 
come  out  all  right. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  "  tbe  result  shows  that  instead  of 
making  everything  come  out  all  right,  you  made  it  come  all 
wrong.  Now,  Derrick,  I  want  tbis  to  be  a  lesson  tbat  you 
will  remember  all  your  life.     By  making  that  one  little  bit 


1 46    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

of  a  change  in  a  single  line  you  placed  yourself  and  me  in 
great  peril.  In  consequence  of  the  situation  to  which  it  led, 
one  man  has  lost  his  life,  and  several  others  came  very  near 
doing  so.  You  thought  you  knew  better  than  your  fathei*, 
who  drew  that  plan,  and  in  your  ignorance  undertook  to  im- 
prove upon  his  work. 

"  I  won't  say  that  good  may  not  come  out  of  all  this,  for 
I  believe  that  with  the  loss  of  their  leader  the  society  of 
Mollies  is  broken  up,  in  this  colliery  at  least,  for  some  time 
to  come,  but  that  does  not  make  your  fault  any  the  less. 

"  Remember,  my  boy,"  he  added,  somewhat  more  gently, 
as  he  saw  great  tears  rolling  down  the  lad's  cheeks,  "  that  the 
little  things  of  this  life  lead  to  and  make  up  its  great  events, 
and  it  is  only  by  paying  the  closest  attention  to  them  that  we 
can  ever  hope  to  achieve  good  results." 

This  was  all  that  was  ever  said  to  Derrick  upon  this  sub- 
ject, but  it  was  enough,  and  he  will  never  forget  it.  When 
he  left  the  presence  of  the  mine  boss  he  was  overwhelmed 
with  shame,  and  was  angry  to  think  that  what  he  considered 
so  trifling  a  thing  as  to  be  unworthy  of  mention  should  be 
treated  so  seriously.  For  an  hour  he  walked  alone  through 
the  woods  back  of  the  village,  and  gave  himself  up  to  bitter 
thoughts.  Gradually  he  began  to  realize  that  every  word 
the  mine  boss  had  said  was  true,  and  to  see  what  he  had 
done  in  its  proper  light.  He  thought  of  all  the  kindness 
Mr.  Jones  had  shown  him,  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  hi  in. 
Finally  he  broke  out  with,  "I  have  been  a  conceited  fool, 
and  now  I  know  it     If  I  ever  catch  Derrick  Sterling  get- 


The  Mine  Boss  in  a  Dilemma,  147 

ting  into  a  scrape  of  this  kind  again  for  want  of  paying  at- 
tention to  little  things,  or  by  thinking  he  knows  more  than 
anybody  else,  he'll  hear  from  me,  that's  all." 

This  was  only  a  vague  threat,  but  it  meant  a  great  deal,  and 
from  that  day  to  this  neither  of  these  failings  has  been  no- 
ticed in  the  young  miner,  even  by  those  most  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  him. 

Nearly  two  weeks  after  this,  upon  returning  home  one 
evening  from  his  day's  work  in  the  mine,  Derrick  found  a 
message  from  Mr.  Jones  awaiting  him.  It  asked  him  to  call 
that  evening,  as  the  mine  boss  wished  to  see  and  consult  him 
upon  business  of  importance. 

Mrs.  Sterling  was  greatly  pleased  at  this,  for  it  showed  that 
her  boy  still  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  man  who  had  it  in 
his  power  to  do  so  much  for  him,  and  that  his  favor  was  not 
withdrawn  in  consequence  of  the  recent  affair  of  the  tracing. 
Derrick  had  told  his  mother  the  whole  story,  without  making 
any  effort  to  shield  himself  from  blame ;  and  though  she  had 
trembled  at  the  resulting  consequences  of  his  fault,  and  the 
knowledge  of  how  much  worse  they  might  have  been,  she 
had  rejoiced  at  the  manner  in  which  he  accepted  its  lesson. 
She  had  only  feared  that  Mr.  Jones,  upon  whom  so  much 
depended,  would  never  trust  her  boy  again,  or  take  him  into 
his  confidence  as  he  had  done. 

Derrick  was  made  equally  happy  by  the  message ;  for  since 
the  day  on  which  the  mine  boss  had  pointed  out  the  weak 
spot  in  his  character,  and  delivered  his  little  lecture  on  the 
wickedness  of  neglecting  details,  he  had  held  no  conversation 


1 48    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

with  him.  He  made  haste  to  finish  his  supper,  wondering  all 
the  while,  with  his  mother  and  Bill  Tooley,who  was  now  able 
to  sit  at  table  with  them,  what  the  business  could  be. 

"  There's  some  ladies  over  there,"  said  little  Helen ;  "  they 
came  to-day,  and  I  saw  them." 

"  Where  ?"  asked  Derrick. 

"At  Mr.  Jones's." 

Now  as  the  young  mine  boss  was  a  bachelor,  and  lived 
alone,  with  the  exception  of  an  old  negro  servant,  this  was 
startling  information,  and  her  hearers  thought  Helen  must 
have  made  some  mistake.  However,  on  the  chance  that  she 
might  be  right,  Derrick  was  more  particular  than  usual  in 
getting  rid  of  every  particle  of  grime  and  coal-dust,  and 
dressed  himself  in  his  best  clothes.  These,  though  much 
worn,  nearly  outgrown,  and  even  mended  in  several  places, 
were  scrupulously  neat,  and  made  him  appear  the  young 
gentleman  he  really  was. 

Although  Derrick  had  been  away  to  boarding-school,  and 
was  very  differently  brought  up  from  the  other  boys  of  the 
village,  he  was  not  at  all  accustomed  to  society,  especially 
that  of  ladies,  and  he  felt  extremely  diffident  at  the  pros- 
pect of  meeting  these  strangersf  if  indeed  Helen's  report 
were  true. 

As  he  approached  the  house  of  the  mine  boss  he  saw  that 
it  was  more  brilliantly  lighted  than  usual,  and  just  as  he 
reached  the  door  a  shadow,  apparently  that  of  a  young  girl, 
moved  across  one  of  the  white  window-shades. 

Instead  of  ringing  the  bell  the  boy  walked  rapidly  on, 


The  Mine  Boss  m  a  Dilemma,  149 

with  a  quickly  beating  heart,  for  some  distance  past  the 
house. 

"  Supposing  it  should  be  a  girl,"  he  thought  to  himself, 
"  I  should  never  dare  say  anything  to  her,  and  she'd  find  it 
out  in  a  minute. ;  then  she'd  make  fun  of  me.  I  wish  I 
knew  whether  I  was  going  to  see  them,  or  see  Mr.  Jones 
alone.  I  hope  he  won't  make  me  go  in  and  be  intro' 
duced." 

Undoubtedly  Derrick  was  bashful,  and  while  he  had  ap- 
parently been  brave  in  the  burning  breaker,  and  in  various 
trying  situations,  was  only  a  coward  after  all. 

Again  he  approached  the  house,  and  again  he  walked  hur- 
riedly past  it.  As  he  turned  and  walked  towards  it  for  the 
third  time  somebody  came  rapidly  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, and  stopped  at  the  very  door  he  was  afraid  to  enter. 
They  reached  it  at  the  same  moment,  and  the  somebody 
recognizing  him,  said,  heartily,  "  Ah,  Derrick,  is  that  you  ? 
I'm  glad  I  got  back  in  time.  I  was  unexpectedly  detained 
by  business,  and  feared  you  might  get  here  before  me.' 
Walk  in." 

There  was  no  help  for  it  now.  "Wishing  with  all  his 
heart  that  he  were  safely  at  home,  or  down  in  the  mine,  or 
anywhere  but  where  he  was,  and  trembling  with  nervous- 
ness, Derrick  found  himself  a  moment  later  inside  the  house, 
and — alone  with  Mr.  Jones  in  the  library. 

"  Sit  down.  Derrick,"  said  the  latter,  as  he  stood  in  front 
of  the  fireplace.  "  I  have  sent  for  you  to  ask  you  to  help 
me  out  of  a  sort  of  a  scrape." 


150    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

So  he  was  not  to  be  asked  to  meet  strange  ladies  or  girls 
after  all,  and  his  fears  were  groundless.  What  a  goose  he 
had  been !  Why  should  he  be  afraid  of  a  girl  anyhow  ?  she 
wouldn't  bite  him.  These  and  other  similar  thoughts 
flashed  through  Derrick's  mind  as  he  tried  to  listen  to  Mr. 
Jones,  and  to  overcome  a  feeling  of  disappointment  that  in 
spite  of  his  efforts  presently  tilled  his  mind. 

"  It  is  this,"  continued  the  mine  boss.  "  For  some  time 
past  my  only  sister,-  Mrs.  Halford,  who  lives  in  Philadelphia, 
has  been  threatening  to  bring  her  daughter  Nellie  on  a  trip 
through  the  Lehigh  Yalley  into  the  coal  region  to  see  me, 
and  be  taken  down  into  a  mine.  They  arrived  unexpect- 
edly this  afternoon,  and  have  got  to  return  home  the  day 
after  to-morrow  ;  so  to-morrow  is  the  only  opportunity  they 
will  have  for  visiting  the  mine.  Of  course  I  had  made  ar- 
rangements to  take  them  around,  and  show  them  every- 
thing there  is  to  be  seen ;  but  now  I  find  I  can't  do  it.  Two 
hours  ago  I  received  a  telegram  telling  me  that  an  impor- 
tant case,  in  which  I  am  the  principal  witness,  is  to  be  tried 
in  Mauch  Chunk  to-morrow,  and  I  must  be  there  without 
fail.  Now  I  want  you  to  take  my  place,  act  as  guide  to  the 
ladies,  and  show  them  all  the  sights  of  interest  about  the 
colliery,  both  above-ground  and  in  the  mine.  Will  you  do 
this  for  me  V 

Derrick  hesitated,  blushed,  stammered,  turned  first  hot 
and  then  cold,  until  Mr.  Jones,  who  was  watching  him  with 
an  air  of  surprise  and  amusement,  laughed  outright. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  he  asked  at  length.     "  Ain't  I 


The  Mine  Boss  in  a  Dilemma.  153 

offering  you  a  pleasanter  job  than  that  of  driving  a  bump- 
ing-mnle  all  day  ?" 

"  No,  sir — I  mean  yes,  sir ;  of  course  I  will,  sir,"  said  Der- 
rick, finally  recovering  his  voice.  "  Only  don't  you  think 
one  of  the  older  men — " 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  You're  old  enough,  and  know  the  col- 
liery well  enough.  I  don't  want  them  taken  through  the 
old  workings,"  added  Mr.  Jones,  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eyes. 

"  If  you  did,  sir,  I  believe  I  could  guide  them  as  well  as 
anybody  !"  exclaimed  Derrick,  with  all  his  self  -  possession 
restored,  together  with  a  touch  of  his  old  self-conceit. 

"  I  haven't  a  doubt  of  it,"  answered  the  other.  "  Now,  if 
it's  all  settled  that  you  are  to  act  as  their  escort  to-morrow, 
step  into  the  parlor  and  let  me  introduce  you  to  the  ladies." 

With  this  he  threw  open  the  door  connecting  the  two 
rooms,  and  said,  "  Sister,  this  is  Derrick  Sterling,  of  whom 
I  have  spoken  to  you  so  often,  and  who  will  act  as  your 
guide  in  my  place  to-morrow.  Derrick,  this  is  my  sister, 
Mrs.  Halford,  and  my  niece.  Miss  Nellie." 

Poor  Derrick  felt  very  much  as  he  had  done  when,  with 
the  same  companion,  he  had  been  unexpectedly  ushered  into 
the  meeting  of  the  Mollie  Maguires,  and,  as  on  that  occasion, 
his  impulse  was  to  run  away.  Before  he  had  a  chance  io 
do  anything  so  foolish,  a  motherly-looking  woman,  evidently 
older  than  Mr.  Jones,  but  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to 
him,  stepped  forward,  and  taking  the  boy  by  the  hand,  said, 
"  I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you,  Derrick,  for  my  brother  has 


154    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

told  me  what  a  brave  fellow  you  are,  and  that  he  feels  per- 
fectly safe  in  trusting  us  to  your  guidance  to-morrow." 

Then  Miss  Nellie,  a  pretty  girl  of  about  his  own  age,  whose 
eyes  twinkled  with  mischief,  held  out  her  hand,  and  said,  "  I 
think  you  must  be  a  regular  hero,  Mr.  Sterling,  for  Fm  sure 
you've  been  through  as  much  as  most  of  the  book  heroes  I've 
read  about." 

Blushing  furiously  at  this,  and  coloring  a  still  deeper 
scarlet  from  the  knowledge  that  he  was  blushing,  and  that 
they  were  all  looking  at  him,  Derrick  barely  touched  the 
tips  of  the  little  fingers  held  out  to  him.  Tiiien  thinking 
that  this  perhaps  seemed  rude,  he  made,  another  attempt  to 
grasp  the  offered  hand  more  heartily,  but  it  was  so  quickly 
withdrawn  that  this  time  he  did  not  touch  it  at  all,  where- 
upon everybody  laughed  good-naturedly. 

Instead  of  further  embarrassing  the  boy,  this  laugh  had 
the  effect  of  setting  him  at  his  ease,  and  in  another  minute 
he  was  chatting  as  pleasantly  with  Miss  Nellie  and  her  mother 
as  though  they  had  been  old  friends. 

Before  he  left  them  it  was  arranged  that,  early  in  the 
morning,  he  should  show  the  ladies  all  that  was  to  be  seen 
above-ground,  and  that  they  should  spend  the  heat  of  the 
day  in  the  cool  depths  of  the  mine. 

The  boy  had  much  to  tell  his  mother,  little  Helen,  and 
Bill  Tooley,  who  were  sitting  up  waiting  for  him,  when  he 
arrived  home ;  but,  after  all,  he  left  them  to  wonder  over 
the  age  of  Miss  Halford,  whom  he  only  casually  mentioned 
as  Mr.  Jones's  niece. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


WHEN  Derrick  awoke  the  next  morning,  at  an  unusually 
early  hour,  it  was  with  the  impression  that  some  great 
pleasure  was  in  store  for  him.  Before  breakfast  he  went 
down  into  the  mine  to  give  Harry  Mule's  sleek  coat  an  extra 
rub,  and  to  arrange  for  another  boy  and  mule  to  take  their 
places  that  day. 

At  eight  o'clock  he  presented  himself  at  the  door  of  Mr. 
Jones's  house,  dressed  in  clean  blue  blouse  and  overalls,  but 
wearing  his  smoke-blackened  cap  and  the  heavy  boots  that 
are  so  necessary  in  the  wet  underground  passages  of  a  mine. 
The  mine  boss  had  already  gone  to  Mauch  Chunk,  and  Miss 
Nellie  was  watching  behind  some  half-closed  shutters  for 
the  appearance  of  their  young  guide. 

"Here  he  is,  mamma!"  she  exclaimed,  as  she  finally 
caught  sight  of  Derrick.  "  How  funnily  he  is  dressed !  but 
what  a  becoming  suit  it  is !  it  makes  him  look  so  much 
more  manly.  W^y  don't  he  ring  the  bell,  I  wonder  ?  He's 
standing  staring  at  the  door  as  though  he  expected  it  to 
open  of  itself.     Ahem  !  ahem  /" 

This  sound,  coming  faintly  to  Derrick's  ear,  seemed  to 


156    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

banish  his  hesitation,  for  the  next  instant  the  bell  was  rung 
furiously.  The  truth  is  he  had  been  seized  with  another 
diffident  fit,  and  had  it  not  been  broad  daylight  he  would 
probably  have  walked  back  and  forth  in  front  of  the  door 
several  times  before  screwing  up  his  courage  to  the  bell- 
ringing  point. 

The  door  was  opened  before  the  bell  had  stopped  jin- 
gling, and  an  anxious  voice  inquired, "  Is  it  fire  ?"  Then  Miss 
Nellie,  apparently  seeing  the  visitor  for  the  first  time,  ex- 
claimed, with  charming  simplicity, 

"  Oh  no !  Excuse  me.  I  see  it's  only  you,  Mr.  Sterling. 
How  stupid  of  me !  Won't  you  walk  in  %  I  thought  per- 
haps it  was  something  serious." 

*'  Only  I,  and  I  wish  it  was  somebody  else,"  thought  bash- 
ful Derrick,  as,  in  obedience  to  this  invitation,  he  stepped 
inside  the  door.  Leaving  him  standing  there.  Miss  Mischief 
ran  up-stairs  to  tell  her  mother,  in  so  loud  a  tone  that  he 
could  plainly  hear  her,  that  Mr.  Sterling  had  come  for  them, 
and  was  evidently  in  an  awful  hurry. 

"  I'm  in  for  a  perfectly  horrid  time,"  said  poor  Derrick 
to  himself.  "I  can  see  plain  enough  that  she  means  to 
make  fun  of  me  all  day." 

Mrs.  Halford's  kind  greeting  and  ready  tact  made  the 
boy  feel  more  at  ease,  and  before  they  reached  the  new 
breaker — the  first  place  to  which  he  carried  them — he  felt 
that  perhaps  he  might  not  be  going  to  have  such  a  very  un- 
pleasant day  after  all. 

Both  Mrs.  Halford  and  Miss  Nellie  were  greatly  inter- 


Ladies  in  the  Mine,  157 

ested  in  watching  the  machinery  of  the  breaker  and  the 
quick  work  of  the  slate-picker  boys;  but  in  spite  of  the 
jigs  and  the  wet  chutes  the  coal-dust  was  so  thick  that  they 
did  not  feel  able  to  remain  there  more  than  a  few  minutes. 

As  they  came  out  Mrs.  Halford  said,  "  Poor  little  fellows  ! 
What  a  terribly  hard  life  they  must  lead  !" 

"  Yes,  mamma,  it's  awful,"  said  Miss  Nellie.  "  And  don't 
they  look  just  like  little  negro  minstrels  ?  I  don't  see, 
though,  how  they  ever  tell  the  slate  from  the  coal.  It  all 
looks  exactly  alike  to  me." 

"  The  slate  isn't  so  black  as  the  coal,"  explained  Derrick, 
"  and  doesn't  have  the  same  shine." 

They  walked  out  over  the  great  dump,  and  the  ladies 
were  amazed  at  its  extent. 

"  Why,  it  seems  as  if  every  bit  of  slate,  and  coal  too,  ever 
dug  in  the  mine  must  be  piled  up  here !"  exclaimed  Miss 
Nellie. 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Derrick,  "  only  about  half  the  product  of 
the  mine  is  waste,  and  only  part  of  that  comes  up  here. 
A  great  quantity  is  dumped  into  the  old  breasts  down  in 
the  workings  to  fill  them  up,  and  at  the  same  time  to  get 
rid  of  it  easily." 

"  But  isn't  there  a  great  deal  of  coal  that  would  burn  in 
this  mountain  of  refuse?"  asked  the  girl. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  there  is ;  and  sometimes  the  piles  get  on 
fire,  and  then  they  seem  to  burn  forever." 

"  I  have  an  acquaintance  in  Philadelphia,"  said  Mrs.  Hal- 
ford,  "  who  has  been  trying  experiments  with  the  dust  of 


158    Derrick  Slerlmg:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

these  waste  heaps.  He  pressed  it  in  egg-shaped  moulds, 
and  has  succeeded  in  making  capital  stove  coal  from  it.  The 
process  is  at  present  too  expensive  to  be  profitable,  but  I 
have  no  doubt  that  cheaper  methods  will  be  discovered,  and 
that  within  a  few  years  these  culm  piles  will  become  valu- 
able." 

"What's  the  use  of  bothering  with  it  when  there's  an 
inexhaustible  supply  of  coal  in  the  ground?"  asked  Miss 
Nellie. 

"  But  there  isn't,"  answered  Derrick.  "  This  coal  region 
only  covers  a  limited  area,  and  some  time  every  bit  of  fuel 
will  be  taken  out  of  it.  I  have  heard  that  it  is  the  only 
place  in  the  world  where  anthracite  has  been  found.  Isn't 
it,  Mrs.  Half ord?" 

"  I  believe  so,"  answered  that  lady ;  "  or  at  least  the  only 
place  in  which  anthracite  of  such  a  fine  quality  as  this  has 
been  discovered.  Inferior  grades  of  hard  coal  are  mined 
in  several  other  localities,  and  bituminous  or  soft  coal  exists 
almost  everywhere." 

From  the  culm  pile  they  went  to  see  the  great  pumping- 
engine,  and  the  huge  fans  that  act  as  lungs  to  the  mine,  con- 
stantly forcing  out  the  foul  air  and  compelling  fresh  to  enter 
it.  Then,  as  the  day  was  growing  warm,  they  did  not  care 
to  go  any  farther,  but  went  back  towards  the  house  to  pre- 
pare for  their  descent  into  the  mine. 

On  their  way  they  stopped  to  call  on  Mrs.  Sterling  at 
Derrick's  home,  which,  covered  with  its  climbing  vines, 
offered  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  unpainted,  bare -looking 


Ladies  in  the  Mijie,  159 

houses  lining  the  village  street  beyond  it.  Here  both  Mrs. 
Halford  and  Miss  Nellie  were  greatly  interested  in  Bill 
Tooley,  of  whom  they  had  already  heard.  He  could  not  be 
induced  to  enter  into  conversation  with  them,  merely  an- 
swering, "yes,  'm  "  or  "  no,  'm  "  to  their  questions  ;  but  from 
what  he  said  after  they  had  gone  he  evidently  thought  their 
call  was  intended  solely  for  him.  For  a  long  time  he  cher- 
ished it  in  his  memory,  and  often  spoke  of  it  as  a  most  won- 
derful event. 

Derrick  took  this  opportunity  to  secure  his  lunch-pail  and 
water-can,  which  he  slung  by  their  chains  over  his  shoulder. 
"When  the  ladies  had  prepared  themselves  for  their  mine 
expedition,  he  was  amused  to  see  that  Miss  Nellie  was  simi- 
larly equipped,  she  having  found  and  appropriated  those 
belonging  to  her  uncle.  Both  the  ladies  wore  old  dresses, 
and  India-rubber  boots,  which  they  had  brought  with  them 
for  this  very  purpose,  and  both  were  provided  with  water- 
proof cloaks. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  slope  Derrick  said  something  through 
a  speaking-tube  that  reached  down  into  the  mine.  Directly 
the  clang  of  a  gong  wfis  heard  in  the  breaker  above  them, 
and  the  great  wire  cable,  extending  its  vast  length  between 
the  rails  of  the  tracks,  began  to  move.  Two  minutes  later  a 
new  coal-car,  one  of  a  lot  that  had  been  delivered  in  the 
mine  the  day  before,  and  had  not  yet  been  used,  was  drawn 
up  out  of  the  blackness  to  the  mouth  of  the  slope,  and 
stopped  in  front  of  them.  Some  hay  had  been  thrown  into 
the  bottom,  and  as  the  ladies  were  helped  in,  Miss  Nellie 


1 6o    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

exclaimed  that  it  looked  as  though  they  were  going  on  a 
regular  straw-ride. 

Handing  each  of  them  a  lighted  lantern  to  carry,  and 
lighting  the  lamp  on  his  cap,  Derrick  tugged  at  the  wire 
leading  to  the  distant  engine-room,  and  gave  the  signal  to 
lower.  The  car  at  once  began  to  move,  and  as  they  felt 
themselves  going  almost  straight  down  into  the  blackness 
between  the  wet,  glistening  walls  of  the  slope,  and  were 
chilled  by  the  cold  breath  of  the  mine,  the  mother  and 
daughter  clung  to  each  other  apprehensively. 

At  first  they  looked  back  and  watched  the  little  patch  of 
daylight  at  the  mouth  of  the  slope  grow  rapidly  smaller  and 
more  indistinct,  until  it  looked  almost  like  a  star.  Then 
Derrick  warned  them  that  there  was  danger  of  hitting  their 
heads  against  the  low  roof,  and  said  they  must  hold  them 
below  the  sides  of  the  car.  When  next  they  lifted  them 
they  were  amid  the  wonders  of  the  underground  world,  in 
the  great  chamber  at  the  foot  of  the  slope.  They  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  darkness  that  was  only  made  the  more  intense 
at  a  short  distance  from  them  by  the  glimmering  lights  of 
a  group  of  miners  who  had  gathered  to  watch  their  arrival. 
Here  Derrick  left  them  while  he  ran  to  the  stable  to  get  hie 
mula 

The  ladies  did  not  get  out  of  the  car,  but  stood  in  it 
after  the  cable  had  been  cast  off,  and  watched  the  loaded 
coal-wagons  as,  one  at  a  time,  they  were  pushed  to  the  foot 
of  the  slope,  and  quickly  drawn  up  out  of  sight.  During 
this  interval  their  eyes  gradually  became  accustomed  to  the 


Ladies  in  the  Mine,  163 

lamp-lit  darkness,  so  that  they  could  see  much  better  than 
at  first. 

In  a  few  minutes  their  young  guide  returned,  leading 
Harry  Mule,  whose  swinging  collar -lamp  and  wondering 
expression  struck  Miss  Nellie  as  so  comical  that  she  could 
not  help  laughing  at  him. 

"  Haw !  he-haw,  he-haw,  he-haw !"  brayed  Harry  Mule,  in 
answer  to  the  unaccustomed  sound ;  and  at  this  greeting 
the  girl  laughed  more  heartily  than  ever. 

The  mule  was  hitched  to  the  car.  Derrick  sprang  up  in 
front,  cracked  the  whip  that  had  hung  about  his  neck,  and 
they  started  on  what,  to  two  of  them  at  least,  was  the  most 
novel  ride  they  had  ever  undertaken. 

When  they  reached  his  stable  Harry  Mule  stopped  short 
and  refused  to  go  on. 

"  What  is  the  matter  T  asked  Miss  Nellie. 

"I  expect  he  wants  us  to  go  in  and  see  his  house,"  an- 
swered Derrick. 

"Why,  I  never  heard  of  such  a  funny  mule.  Do  you 
suppose  he  knows  we  are  visitors  V 

"  Of  course  he  does,"  answered  the  boy,  gravely ;  "  and 
he  knows  that  visitors  always  want  to  see  the  mine  stable." 

So  they  all  went  in  to  look  at  it.  In  the  long,  low,  nar- 
row chamber,  hewn  from  solid  rock,  were  thirty  stalls.  Sev- 
eral of  them  were  occupied  by  spare  mules,  who  turned  an 
inquiring  gaze  at  the  visitors,  and  blinked  in  the  light  of 
their  lanterns.  At  one  end  were  bales  of  hay  and  bags  of 
oats,  while  just  outside  the  door  stood  a  long  water-trough. 


164    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

which,  as  mine  water  is  unfit  for  use,  was  supplied  from 
above-ground  through  iron  pipes  brought  down  the  slope. 
In  spite  of  living  in  a  continual  midnight,  so  far  from  past- 
ures and  the  light  of  day,  which  some  of  them  did  not  see 
from  one  year's  end  to  another,  these  mine  mules  were  fat 
and  sleek,  and  appeared  perfectly  contented  with  their  lot. 

Apparently  satisfied  that  justice  had  been  done  to  his 
place  of  abode,  Harry  Mule  offered  no  further  objection  to 
moving  on,  when  they  again  got  into  the  car,  and  the  stable 
was  quickly  left  behind. 

By-and-by  Derrick  called  out  "  Door !" 

As  it  opened  for  them  to  pass,  and  Paul  Evert  recognized 
his  friend,  he  cried,  "  Oh,  Derrick,  Socrates — "  Then  seeing 
the  visitors,  he  stopped  abruptly,  and  stared  at  them  in  con- 
fusion. 

"  Never  mind,  Polly ;  we'll  be  back  pretty  soon,"  shouted 
Derrick,  as  the  car  rolled  on,  "and  then  you  can  tell  us  all 
about  it." 

"  What  did  he  say  ?"  inquired  Mrs.  Halford. 

"  I  didn't  quite  understand,"  replied  Derrick ;  "  but,  if 
you  don't  mind,  we'll  go  back  there  after  a  while  and  eat 
our  lunch  with  Polly — he'd  be  so  pleased ! — and  then  we'll 
ask  him." 

"  Who  is  Polly  ?"  asked  Miss  I^ellie. 

"  He's  Paul  Evert,  my  best  friend,  and  he's  a  cripple." 

"  Oh,  he's  the  boy  you  saved  from  the  burning  breaker ! 
Yes,  indeed,  mamma,  let's  go  back  and  eat  our  lunch  with 
him." 


Ladies  m  the  Mine.  165 

Mrs.  Halford  agreed  to  this,  and  after  they  had  visited 
the  blacksmith's  shop,  where  a  cheery  young  fellow  named 
Aleck  was  installed  in  Job  Taskar's  place,, they  went  back 
to  Paul's  station. 

Both  the  ladies  were  charmed  with  the  gentle  simplicity 
and  quaintness  of  the  crippled  lad,  and  he  thought  he  had 
never  been  so  happy  as  in  acting  the  part  of  host  to  this  un- 
derground picnic  party.  He  showed  them  all  the  strange 
and  beautiful  pictures  on  the  walls  of  the  gangway,  and 
Derrick  managed  to  break  off  for  them  a  couple  of  thin 
scales  of  slate  on  which  were  impressed  the  delicate  outlines 
of  fern  leaves. 

Mrs.  Halford  sat  in  Paul's  arm  -  chair,  and  he  made  a 
bench  of  the  tally-board  for  Miss  Nellie.  The  two  boys 
were  content  to  sit  on  the  railway  track,  and  each  ate  out  of 
his  or  her  own  lunch-pail. 

All  at  once  Paul  said,  "  'Sh  !    There  they  are !    See  !" 

At  this  the  visitors  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and 
both  screamed. 

*'  Oh,  you've  frightened  them  away !"  said  Paul,  regret- 
fully. 

"  Why,  I  do  believe  they  were  rats !"  cried  Mrs.  Halford, 
in  a  tone  of  great  surprise. 

"  Of  course  they  were,"  answered  Paul — "  my  rat  Socra- 
tes and  Mrs.  Socrates  and  a  whole  lot  of  little  Soc  rats.  I 
meant  to  tell  you.  Derrick  ;  he  brought  them  out  this  morn- 
ing, his  wife  and  a  family  of  such  cunning  little  fellows." 

When  the  ladies  had  heard  the  whole  story  of  Socrates 


1 66    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

the  rat,  and  how  wise  he  was,  they  became  greatly  inter- 
ested, and  wished  he  would  appear  again. 

"  He  will,"  said  Paul,  "  if  we  only  keep  quiet.  He's  too 
wise  to  stay  away  at  lunch-time,  but  he  don't  like  loud  talk- 
ing." 

So  they  all  kept  very  quiet,  and  sure  enough  the  rat  did 
come  back  after  a  little  while,  and  sitting  up  on  his  hind- 
legs,  gravely  surveyed  the  party.  In  the  gloom  behind 
him  could  be  seen  the  shining  beady  eyes  of  some  mem- 
bers of  his  family,  who  made  comical  attempts  to  sit  up 
as  he  did. 

Being  duly  fed,  they  all  scampered  away  with  squeaks  of 
thanks,  and  soon  afterwards  Harry  Mule  broke  up  the  picnic 
by  coming  jingling  back  from  his  stable,  to  which  he  had 
been  sent  for  dinner. 

"  I  think  he  is  just  the  very  dearest  old  mule  I  ever  saw," 
said  Miss  Nellie,  when  they  were  once  more  seated  in  the 
car,  and  Harry  was  taking  them  towards  a  distant  heading. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  he  is,"  answered  Derrick,  proud  to  hear  his 
mule  thus  praised ;  "  and  I  love  him  as  much  as — as  he  loves 
me,"  he  finished,  with  a  laugh. 

They  spent  several  hours  in  visiting  different  parts  of  the 
mine,  and  becoming  acquainted  with  all  the  details  of  its 
many  operations.  At  the  end  of  one  heading  they  found 
the  miners  who  had  just  finished  drilling  a  hole  deep  in  the 
wall  of  coal  beyond  them,  and  were  about  to  fire  a  blast. 
The  visitors  were  intensely  interested  in  watching  their  op- 
erations.   First  a  cartridge  of  stiff  brown  paper  and  powder 


Ladies  in  the  Mine,  167 

was  made.  The  paper  was  rolled  into  the  shape  of  a  long 
cylinder,  about  as  big  round  as  a  broom-handle,  the  end  of 
a  fuse  was  inserted  in  the  powder  with  which  it  was  filled, 
and  the  cartridge  was  thrust  into  the  hole  just  prepared  for 
it.  Then  it  was  tamped  with  clay,  the  fuse  was  lighted,  the 
miners  uttered  loud  cries  of  "  Blast  ho !"  and  everybody  ran 
away  to  a  safe  distance. 

In  less  than  a  minute  came  a  dull  roar  that  echoed  and  re- 
echoed through  the  long  galleries.  It  was  followed  by  a  great 
upheaval  of  coal,  a  dense  cloud  of  smoke,  and  the  blast  was 
safely  over. 

These  miners  had  a  loaded  car  ready  to  be  hauled  away. 
One  of  them  asked  Derrick  if  he  would  mind  hitching  it  on 
behind  his  empty  car,  and  drawing  it  to  the  junction,  adding 
that  the  boy  who  had  taken  his  place  that  day  was  too  slow 
to  live. 

"  All  right,"  said  Derrick.  "  I  guess  we  can  take  it  for 
you." 

So,  with  two  cars  instead  of  one  to  pull,  Harry  Mule  was 
started  towards  the  junction.  On  the  way  they  had  to  pass 
through  a  door  in  charge  of  a  boy  who  had  only  come  into 
the  mine  that  day.  This  door  opened  towards  them,  and 
they  approached  it  on  a  slightly  descending  grade. 

As  they  drew  near  to  it,  with  Harry  Mule  trotting  briskly 
along,  Derrick  shouted,  "  Door !" 

Again  he  shouted,  louder  than  before,  "  Door !  door !  Hol- 
loa there !  what's  the  matter  ?" 

The  little  door-tender,  unaccustomed  to  the  utter  silence 


1 68    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

and  solitude  of  the  situation,  sat  fast  asleep  in  his  chair.  At 
last  Derrick's  frantic  shoutings  roused  him,  and  he  sprang  to 
his  feet,  but  too  late.  A  crash,  a  wild  cry,  and  poor  Harry 
Mule  lay  on  the  floor  of  the  gangway,  crushed  between  the 
heavy  cars  and  the  solid,  immovable  door  I 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A   LIFE   IS    SAVED    AND    DERRICK    IS    PROMOTED. 

MKS.  HALFOKD  and  her  daughter  were  flung  rudely 
forward  to  the  end  of  the  car  by  the  shock  of  the  col- 
lision, and  were,  of  course,  badly  frightened,  as  well  as  con- 
siderably shaken  up  and  somewhat  bruised.  They  were  not 
seriously  hurt,  however,  and  with  Derrick's  assistance  they 
got  out  of  the  car  and  stood  on  the  door-tender's  platform. 

Derrick  sent  the  boy  who  had  been  so  sleepy,  but  who 
was  now  wide-awake  and  crying  with  fright,  back  to  ask  the 
miners  they  had  just  left  to  come  to  their  assistance.  Then 
he  turned  his  attention  to  Harry  Mule.  The  poor  beast  was 
not  dead,  but  was  evidently  badly  injured.  He  was  jammed 
so  tightly  between  the  cars  and  the  door  that  he  could  not 
move,  and  the  light  of  Derrick's  lamp  disclosed  several  ugly- 
looking  cuts  in  his  body,  from  which  blood  was  flowing 
freely. 

The  tears  streamed  down  the  boy's  face  as  he  witnessed 
the  suffering  of  his  dumb  friend,  and  realized  how  power- 
less he  was  to  do  anything  to  relieve  it.  He  was  not  a  bit 
ashamed  of  these  signs  of  grief  when  he  felt  a  light  touch 
on  his  arm,  and  turning,  saw  Nellie  Halford,  with  eyes  also 


1 70    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

full  of  tears,  standing  beside  him,  and  gazing  pityingly  at  the 
mule. 

"  Will  he  die,  do  you  think  ?"  she  asked. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I'm  afraid  so,  or  that  he's  too  badly 
hurt  to  be  made  well  again,  and  so  will  have  to  be  killed." 

"  No,  he  sha'n't  be  killed.  My  uncle  sha'n't  let  him.  If 
he  does,  I'll  never  love  him  again !"  exclaimed  Miss  Nellie, 
with  determined  energy.  "  Poor  old  mule !  poor  Harry ! 
you  shall  have  everything  in  the  world  done  for  you  if  you 
only  won't  die,"  she  added,  stooping  and  patting  the  ani- 
mal's head  with  her  soft  hand. 

Feebly  lifting  his  head  and  pricking  forward  his  great 
ears,  Harry  Mule  opened  his  eyes,  and  looked  at  the  girl  for 
a  moment  so  earnestly  that  she  almost  thought  he  was  going 
to  speak  to  her.  Then  the  big,  wondering  eyes  were  closed 
again,  and  the  shaggy  head  sank  on  the  wet  roadway,  but 
Nelly  felt  that  she  had  been  thanked  for  her  pitying  words 
and  gentle  touch. 

After  a  while  the  little  door-tender  came  hurrying  back, 
followed  by  the  men  for  whom  he  had  been  sent.  They 
were  much  excited  over  the  accident,  on  account  of  the 
character  of  the  visitors  who  had  been  sufferers  from  it,  and 
were  inclined  to  use  very  harsh  language  towards  the  boy 
whose  neglect  of  duty  had  caused  it.  This,  however,  was 
prevented  byMrs.  Half ord,  who  declared  she  would  not  have 
the  little  fellow  abused.  She  said  it  was  a  burning  shame 
that  children  of  his  age  were  allowed  in  tlie  mines  at  all, 
and  it  was  no  wonder  they  went  to  sleep,  after  sitting  all 


A  Life  is  Saved  mid  Derrick  is  Promoted,   173 

alone  for  hours  without  anything  to  occupy  their  thoughts, 
in  that  awful  darkness  and  silence. 

The  loaded  car  proved  so  heavy  that  it  had  to  be  unloaded 
before  it  could  be  moved.  Then  the  empty  car  was  pushed 
back  from  Harry  Mule,  and  he  made  a  frantic  struggle  to 
regain  his  feet.  After  several  unsuccessful  attempts  he 
finally  succeeded,  and  stood  trembling  in  the  roadway.  It 
was  now  seen  that  he  had  the  use  of  only  three  legs,  and 
an  examination  showed  his  right  fore-leg  to  be  broken. 

"  He'll  never  do  no  more  work  in  this  mine,"  said  one  of 
the  men.     "  The  poor  beast  will  have  to  be  killed." 

"  He  sha'n't  be  killed !  He  sha'n't,  I  say.  We  won't  have 
him  killed;  will  we,  mother?"  cried  ISTellie  Halford,  her 
voice  trembling  with  emotion. 

"  No,  dear,  not  if  anything  we  can  do  will  prevent  it," 
answered  the  mother,  gently. 

"  Don't  you  think,"  continued  the  girl,  turning  to  Derrick, 
"  that  he  might  be  mended  if  anybody  would  take  the  time 
and  trouble  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  he  might,  because  there  is  a  mule  at  work 
in  the  mine  now  that  had  a  broken  leg,  and  they  cured 
him.  He  was  a  young  mule,  though.  I'm  afraid  they  won't 
bother  with  one  so  old  as  Harry." 

"  He's  listening  to  every  word  we  say,"  interrupted  the 
girl,  "and  I  do  believe  he  understands  too.  Just  look  at 
him !" 

The  wounded  mule  was  standing  in  a  dejected  attitude 
on  the  very  spot  where  he  had  been  so  badly  hurt ;  but  his 


174    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

patient  face,  with  its  big  eyes,  was  turned  inquiringly  tow- 
ards them,  and  it  did  seem  as  though  he  were  listening  anx- 
iously to  the  conversation  about  himself. 

He  managed  to  limp  a  few  steps  away  from  the  door,  so 
that  it  could  be  opened,  and  was  then  left  in  charge  of  the 
little  door-tender,  who  was  instructed  to  keep  him  as  still 
as  possible. 

After  the  miners  had  given  the  empty  car  a  start,  Der- 
rick found  that  he  could  keep  it  in  motion,  and  undertook 
to  push  it  as  far  as  the  junction,  Mrs.  Halford  and  Miss 
Nellie  following  on  foot.  The  two  miners  remained  upon 
the  scene  of  the  accident  to  refill  the  car  they  had  been  com- 
pelled to  unload. 

The  ladies  and  Derrick  had  gone  but  a  short  distance 
when  they  heard,  faintly,  through  the  closed  door  behind 
them,  a  plaintive  "  Haw,  he-haw,  he-haw,  he-haw." 

As  Nellie  Halford  said,  it  sounded  exactly  as  though  poor 
dear  old  Harry  Mule  were  begging  them  not  to  leave  him. 

They  had  nearly  reached  the  junction  when  a  cheery  voice 
rang  out  of  the  gloom  ahead  of  them,  saying, 

"  Holloa  there !  where's  your  mule  %  and  where's  your  light  ? 
You  wouldn't  run  over  a  stranger,  would  you  ?" 

"I'm  the  mule,"  replied  Derrick,  as,  panting  and  per- 
spiring with  his  exertions,  he  looked  around  a  rear  corner 
of  the  car  to  see  who  was  coming. 

"  Why,  Derrick,  is  that  you  ?"  inquired  the  voice,  in  a 
tone  of  great  surprise.  "What  has  happened?  where  are 
the  ladies?" 


A  Life  is  Saved  and  Derrick  is  Promoted,  1 75 

"  Oh,  Warren !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Halford,  from  somewhere 
back  in  the  darkness,  "I'm  so  thankful  to  see — I  mean  to 
hear — you.     Here  we  are." 

"  But  I  don't  understand,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  for  it  was  he 
who  had  so  unexpectedly  come  to  their  assistance.  "  What 
is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?     Where's  the  bumping-mule  ?" 

"  We  had  a  collision  with  a  door,"  explained  Miss  Nellie, 
"  and  poor  Harry  Mule  got  crushed.  His  leg's  broken,  and 
he's  all  cut  up.  But  oh.  Uncle  Warren,  you  won't  have  him 
killed,  will  you  ?" 

"I  can't  promise  until  I  find  out  how  badly  he  is  in- 
jured." 

"  Oh,  but  you  must.  Uncle  Warren.  If  you  have  him 
killed,  I'll  never  love  you  again,"  insisted  Miss  Nellie,  re- 
peating the  threat  she  had  already  made. 

"  Well,  dear,  I'll  promise  this :  he  shall  not  be  killed 
unless  I  can  show  you  that  it  is  the  best  thing  to  be  done, 
and  you  give  your  consent." 

"  Then  he'll  live  to  be  an  old,  old  mule !"  cried  Miss  Nel- 
lie, joyfully ;  "  for  I'll  never,  never  consent  to  have  him 
killed." 

As  the  ladies  once  more  got  into  the  car,  and  the  mine 
boss  helped  Derrick  push  it  towards  the  junction,  Mrs.  Hal- 
ford  said,  "  How  do  you  liappen  to  be  back  so  early,  War- 
ren ?     I  thought  you  were  to  be  gone  all  day." 

"  Why,  so  I  have  been,"  he  answered,  with  some  surprise. 
"Don't  you  call  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  nearly 
the  same  hour  of  the  evening  all  day  ^" 


176    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  it  is  nearly  six  o'clock  ?" 

"I  do ;  for  that  witching  hour  is  certainly  near  at  hand." 

"  Well,  I  never  knew  a  day  to  pass  so  quickly  in  my  life. 
I  didn't  suppose  it  was  more  than  three  o'clock,  at  the 
latest." 

"  It  is,  though ;  and  to  understand  how  time  passes  down 
in  a  mine,  you  have  but  to  remember  two  often  quoted  say- 
ings. One  is, '  Time  is  money,'  and  the  other,  ^  Money  van- 
ishes down  the  throat  of  a  mine  more  quickly  than  smoke 
up  a  chimney.'  Ergo,  time  vanishes  quickly  down  in  a  mine. 
Is  not  that  a  good  bit  of  logic  for  you  ?" 

Both  the  ladies  laughed  at  this  nonsense,  but  it  served  to 
divert  their  minds  from  the  painful  scene  they  had  just  wit- 
nessed, and  therefore  accomplished  its  purpose. 

From  the  junction  Mr.  Jones  sent  some  men  back  to  get 
Harry  Mule  and  take  him  to  the  stable,  where  his  injuries 
could  be  examined  and  his  wounds  dressed.  He  also  ordered 
a  report  to  be  made  concerning  them  that  evening.  Then 
the  ladies'  car  was  attached  to  a  train  of  loaded  coal- wagons, 
and  the  party  were  thus  taken  to  the  foot  of  the  slope. 

As  the  great  wire  cable  began  to  strain,  and  they  started 
slowly  up  the  slope  towards  the  outer  world,  both  Mrs.  Hal- 
ford  and  Miss  Nellie  looked  back  regretfully  into  the  mys- 
terious depths  behind  them. 

"  I  wouldn't  have  believed  that  in  a  few  hours  this  awful 
place  could  exercise  such  a  fascination  over  me,"  said  the 
former.  "  I  really  hate  to  leave  it,  and  wish  we  were  com- 
ing down  again  to-morrow." 


A  Life  is  Saved  and  Derrick  is  Promoted.    177 

"  So  do  I !"  exclaimed  Miss  Nellie ;  "  and  if  I  were  a  boy, 
Pd  study  to  be  an  engineer,  and  spend  my  life  down  among 
the  *  black  diamonds '  of  the  coal-mines." 

Did  this  girl  know  of  the  hopes  and  ambitions  of  the  boy 
who  sat  beside  her  ?  This  question  flashed  through  his  mind  ; 
but  he  quickly  answered  it  for  himself ;  "  Of  course  not.  Der- 
rick Sterling.  What  a  fool  you  are  to  fancy  such  a  thing ! 
She  only  knows  and  thinks  of  you,  if  she  thinks  of  you  at 
all,  as  a  mule-driver,  such  as  she  has  seen  a  dozen  of  to-day." 

Although  the  sun  had  set  when  they  reached  the  top  of 
the  slope,  and  a  breeze  was  blowing,  the  outer  air  felt  op- 
pressively warm  after  that  of  the  mine,  and  the  ladies  be- 
came suddenly  aware  of  a  weariness  they  had  not  before  felt. 

Derrick  was  made  very  happy,  and  almost  forgot  for  a 
time  his  sadness  at  Harry  Mule's  pitiable  condition,  when 
Mr.  Jones  invited  him  to  come  and  take  tea  with  them. 
Joyfully  accepting  the  invitation,  the  lad  hastened  home  to 
change  his  clothes,  and  the  others,  walking  more  slowly, 
gazed  after  him. 

"  I  think  he's  splendid !"  exclaimed  Miss  l!^ellie,  with  the 
outspoken  decision  that  generally  marked  the  expression  of 
her  thoughts ;  "  and  I  do  hope  he  will  have  a  chance  to  be- 
come a  mining  engineer." 

"  He  will,  if  he  keeps  on  trying  for  it  as  he  has  begun," 
said  her  uncle.  "Any  boy,  no  matter  if  he  is  born  and 
brought  up  a  gentleman,  as  Derrick  Sterling  certainly  was; 
who  goes  in  at  the  very  bottom  of  any  business,  determined 
to  climb  to  the  top,  will  find  a  way  to  do  it." 


178    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

*'  I  like  to  see  a  boy  not  ashamed  to  do  dirty  work,  if  that 
is  what  his  duty  calls  him  to  do,"  said  Mrs.  Halford.  "  He 
comes  out  all  the  brighter  and  cleaner  by  contrast  when 
the  dirt  is  washed  off." 

If  Derrick's  right  ear  did  not  burn  and  tingle  with  all 
this  praise,  it  ought  to  have  done  so ;  but  perhaps  he  was 
too  busy  telling  the  exciting  news  of  the  day  at  home  to 
notice  it. 

He  did  not  walk  past  the  Jones's  house,  nor  hesitate  be- 
fore ringing  the  door- bell  on  this  occasion,  as  he  had  the 
evening  before,  but  stepped  up  to  it  with  all  the  boldness 
of  one  who  was  about  to  meet  and  greet  old  acquaintances. 
Besides,  his  mind  was  too  full  of  the  sad  fate  that  had  be- 
fallen his  mule  to  admit  of  more  than  the  briefest  consider- 
ation of  personal  feelings. 

At  the  supper-table  the  conversation  was  wholly  of  mines, 
collieries,  and  the  perils  of  miners'  lives,  in  regard  to  which 
Mr.  Jones  related  a  number  of  interesting  incidents. 

"  How  wonderful  it  is !"  said  Miss  Nellie,  who  had  listened 
to  all  this  with  eager  attention.  "  Who  first  discovered  coal, 
anyway.  Uncle  Warren?  and  how  did  people  find  out  that 
it  would  burn  ?" 

"If  you  mean  who  discovered  anthracite  coal,  I  believe 
the  credit  is  generally  given  to  a  man  named  Philip  Gunter, 
who  lived  in  a  cabin  on  the  side  of  a  mountain  not  far  from 
where  we  are  now  sitting.  He  was  a  hunter ;  and  the  story 
goes  that  one  day  in  the  year  1791  he  had  been  out  hunt- 
ing for  many  hours,  without  securing  any  game,  which  made 


A  Life  is  Saved  and  Derrick  is  Promoted.    1 79 

him  feel  very  badly,  for  when  he  left  home  that  morning 
there  was  no  food  in  the  house.  Towards  night  he  was 
returning,  greatly  depressed  in  spirits,  and  paying  so  little 
heed  to  his  footsteps  that  he  stumbled  and  fell  over  some 
obstacle.  Stooping  to  see  what  it  was,  he  found  a  black 
stone,  different  from  any  he  had  ever  before  noticed.  He 
had,  however,  heard  of  stone  coal,  and  thought  perhaps  this 
might  be  a  lump  of  that  substance.  Having  nothing  else 
to  carry,  he  decided  to  take  it  home  as  a  curiosity.  Soon 
afterwards  he  gave  it  to  a  friend,  who  sent  it  to  Philadel- 
phia, where  it  was  pronounced  to  be  genuine  coal.  A  few 
gentlemen  became  interested  in  this  discovery,  and  formed 
themselves  into  the  '  Lehigh  Coal-mine  Company.'  A  mine 
was  opened,  and  four  laborers  were  employed  to  work  it ; 
but  as  there  was  no  way  of  getting  the  coal  they  mined 
to  market  they  were  soon  discharged,  and  the  project  was 
abandoned  for  the  time  being. 

"Nothing  further  was  done  until  1817,  when  Colonel 
George  Shoemaker,  of  Potts ville,  took  four  wagon-loads  of 
anthracite  coal  to  Philadelphia,  and  tried  to  sell  it  there. 
People  laughed  at  him  for  telling  them  that  those  black 
stones  would  burn ;  but  he  guaranteed  that  they  would. 
Upon  this  a  number  of  persons  bought  small  quantities  on 
trial ;  but  all  their  efforts  failed-  to  set  it  on  fire.  Then 
they  became  very  angry,  and  tried  to  have  Colonel  Shoe- 
maker thrown  into  prison  for  cheating  them.  He  fled  from 
the  city,  pursued  by  officers  who  held  warrants  for  his  arrest. 
Finally  he  managed  to  elude  them,  and  reached  his  home, 


I  So    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

thoroughly  disgusted  with  coal,  and  ready  to  swear  that  he 
would  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  it. 

"  In  the  mean  time  a  lot  of  the  black  stones  had  been  pur- 
chased for  trial  by  the  Fairmount  Nail -works.  It  was 
placed  in  one  of  the  furnaces,  and  the  proprietor  spent  a 
whole  morning  with  his  men  in  trying  to  make  the  stuff 
burn.  They  were  unsuccessful,  and  finally,  completely  dis- 
heartened by  their  failure,  they  shut  the  furnace  door  and 
went  off  to  dinner,  uttering  loud  threats  against  the  man 
who  had  sold  them  such  worthless  trash.  Upon  their  re- 
turn to  the  works  they  were  filled  with  amazement,  for  the 
furnace  door  was  red  hot,  and  a  fire  of  the  most  intense 
heat  was  roaring  and  blazing  behind  it.  Since  that  time 
there  has  been  no  difficulty  in  selling  anthracite  coal  nor  in 
making  it  burn.  Now  the  production  of  coal  in  this  coun- 
try has  reached  such  enormous  proportions  that  its  annual 
value  is  equal  to  that  of  all  the  gold,  silver,  and  iron  mined 
in  the  United  States  during  the  year." 

Just  here  Mr.  Jones  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  the 
report  of  Harry  Mule's  condition.  It  was  very  brief,  and 
pronounced  the  animal  to  be  so  badly  injured,  and  his 
chances  of  recovery  so  slight,  that  it  would  cost  more  to  at- 
tempt to  cure  him  than  he  was  worth. 

"  Now  what  am  I  to  do  about  him  ?"  asked  Mr.  Jones. 

"  I  want  to  buy  that  mule,  Warren,"  said  Mrs.  Halford. 

"  Please  give  him  to  me,"  pleaded  Miss  Nellie. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  a  chance  to  try  and  cure  him," 
said  Derrick ;  and  all  these  requests  were  made  at  once. 


A  Life  is  Saved  and  Derrick  is  Promoted.    i8i 

Mr.  Jones  looked  at  them  with  a  puzzled  smile,  thought 
a  moment,  and  then  said,  "All  right:  I  will  sell  him  to 
you,  sister,  for  one  cent,  provided  you  will  give  him  to  Nel- 
lie, and  that  she  will  leave  him  with  Derrick  to  care  for  and 
cure  if  he  can." 

"  That's  a  splendid  plan  1"  cried  Miss  Nellie. 

"Have  you.  any  place  in  which  to  take  care  of  him?" 
asked  Mrs.  Halford  of  Derrick. 

'*  Yes,"  answered  the  boy,  "  we  have  a  little  empty  stable 
back  of  our  house  that  will  make  a  tip-top  mule  hospital." 

"  Then  it's  a  bargain,  Warren  ;  and  if  you  take  care  of  him, 
Derrick,  you  nnist  let  me  pay  all  the  doctor's  bills,  and  fur- 
nish all  necessary  hay,  corn,  and  oats." 

Thus  it  was  decided  that  Harry  Mule  should  be  restored 
to  health  and  usefulness,  if  money,  skill,  and  kind  care  could 
do  it. 

Before  Derrick  left,  the  mine  boss  said  to  him,  "Now 
that  there  is  no  Harry  Mule  for  you  to  drive,  I  am  going 
to  promote  you,  and  let  you  work  with  Tom  Evert  as  his 
helper.  In  that  position  you  will  gain  a  thoroughly  practi- 
cal knowledge  of  mining.  You  may  report  to  him  to-mor- 
row." 

13 


CHAPTER  XV. 


AS  it  was  impossible  for  Harry  Mule  to  climb  the  gigan- 
-  tic  stairway  of  the  travelling-road,  his  legs  were  bound 
so  that  he  could  not  move  them,  a  platform  was  laid  across 
two  coal-cars  from  which  the  sides  had  been  removed,  and 
he  was  placed  on  this,  and  firmly  lashed  to  it.  In  this  man- 
ner he  was  drawn  to  the  top  of  the  slope,  and  from  there 
he  managed  to  limp,  though  with  great  difficulty  and  very 
slowly,  to  the  little  stable  behind  the  Sterlings'  house. 

Here,  by  order  of  the  mine  boss,  carpenters,  had  been  at 
work  since  early  morning  making  a  roomy  box-stall  in  place 
of  two  small  ones,  and  providing  it  with  a  broad  sling  of 
strong  canvas,  which  was  hung  from  eye-bolts  inserted  in 
beams  overhead.  This  was  passed  beneath  the  mule's  belly, 
and  drawn  so  that  while  he  could  stand  on  three  legs  if  lie 
wished,  he  could  also  rest  the  whole  weight  of  his  body 
upon  it. 

After  Harry  Mule  was  thus  made  as  comfortable  as  pos- 
sible, a  skilful  veterinary  surgeon  set  his  broken  leg,  and 
bound  it  so  firmly  with  splints  that  it  could  not  possi- 
bly move.     He  also  sewed  up  the  cuts  on  various  parts  of 


A  ''Squeeze''  and  a  Fall  of  Rock,  183 

the  animal's  body,  and  said  that  with  good  care  he  thought 
the  patient  might  recover,  though  his  leg  would  probably 
always  be  stiff. 

These  operations  occupied  the  attention  of  Mr.  Jones,  the 
Halfords,  and  the  Sterling  family,  including  Derrick,  until 
noon,  when  it  was  time  for  Mrs.  Halford  and  Miss  Nellie  to 
take  the  train  for  Philadelphia. 

Before  leaving,  Mrs.  Halford  had  an  interview  with  Bill 
Tooley,  who  was  now  able  to  hobble  about  with  the  aid  of  a 
crutch.  She  said  that  if  he  would,  under  Derrick's  direction, 
take  care  of  Harry  Mule,  and  see  that  all  his  wants  were 
promptly  supplied  until  lie  got  well,  she  would  pay  him  the 
same  wages  that  he  could  earn  by  working  in  the  breaker. 

Of  course  Bill  gratef ullj^  accepted  this  offer ;  and  either 
because  he  had  a  feeling  of  sympathy  for  an  animal  that  was 
suffering  in  much  the  same  way  that  he  was,  or  because  his 
own  trials  and  the  kindness  shown  him  had  really  softened 
his  nature,  he  proved  a  capital  and  most  attentive  nurse. 

Often  after  this,  when  Derrick  entered  the  stable  unex- 
pectedly, he  discovered  these  two  cripples  engaged  in  conver- 
sation. At  least  he  would  find  Bill  Tooley  perched  on  the 
edge  of  the  manger,  where  he  balanced  himself  with  his 
crutch,  talking  in  his  uncouth  way  to  the  mule ;  while  the 
latter,  with  great  ears  pricked  forward,  and  wondering  eyes 
fixed  unwinkingly  upon  the  speaker,  seemed  to  pay  most  ear- 
nest attention  to  all  that  he  said. 

As  Derrick  watched  the  train  bearing  his  recently  made 
friends  roll  away  from  the  little  station,  and  disappear  around 


184    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

a  sharp  curve  in  the  valley,  he  experienced  a  feeling  of  sad- 
ness, for  which  he  was  at  first  unable  to  account.  In  think- 
ing it  over,  he  decided  that  it  was  because  he  felt  sorry  to 
have  anybody  go  away  who  had  been  so  kind  to  his  much- 
loved  bumping-mule. 

Turning  away  from  the  station,  he  walked  slowly  back  to 
the  mouth  of  the  slope,  jumped  into  an  empty  car,  and  was 
lowered  into  the  mine. 

Why  did  the  place  appear  so  strange  to  him?  All  the 
interest,  of  which  it  had  seemed  so  full  but  the  day  before, 
was  gone  from  it,  and  Derrick  felt  that  he  hated  these  un- 
derground delvings.  A  feeling  of  dread  came  over  him  as 
he  started  along  one  of  the  gangways  in  search  of  Tom  Evert, 
to  whom  he  had  been  ordered  to  report  for  duty.  The  air 
seemed  close  and  suffocating,  and  the  lamps  to  burn  with  a 
more  sickly  flame  than  usual.  To  the  boy  the  faces  of  the 
miners  looked  haggard,  and  their  voices  sounded  unnaturally 
harsh.  He  overheard  one  of  them  say,  "Ay,  she's  working, 
there's  no  doubt  o'  that ;  but  it's  naught  to  worrit  over ;  just 
a  bit  settlin'  into  place  like." 

Derrick  wondered,  as  he  passed  out  of  hearing,  what  the 
man  meant ;  and  as  he  wondered  he  was  startled  by  a  sharp 
report  like  the  crack  of  a  rifle,  only  much  louder,  and  a  hor- 
rible grinding,  crushing  sound  that  came  from  the  rock  wall 
of  the  gangway  close  beside  him.  The  sound  filled  him  with 
such  terror  that  he  fled  from  it,  running  at  full  speed  through 
the  black,  dripping  gallery.  He  ran  until  he  came  to  a  group 
of  miners  who  were  strengthening  the  roof  with  additional 


A  '''Squeeze''''  and  a  Fall  of  Rock.  185 

props  and  braces  of  new  timber.  He  told  them  of  his  fright, 
and  they  laughed  at  him. 

"  He's  heerd  t'  mine  a-talking,  and  got  skeert  at  her  voice," 
said  one. 

"  She's  alius  a-cracklin'  an'  a-sputterin'  when  she's  uneasy 
and  workin'  hersel'  comfortable  like  ;  don't  ye  know  that,  lad  ? 
It's  only  a '  squeeze.'  Sich  noises  means  naught  but  warnin's 
to  put  in  a  few  new  timbers  here  and  there,"  explained  an- 
other, more  kindly.  He  was  an  old  man,  in  that  his  cheeks 
were  sunken  and  his  hair  was  gray,  though  he  had  lived  less 
than  forty  years.  This  is  counted  old  among  miners,  for  their 
terrible  life  and  the  constant  inhaling  of  coal-dust  ages  them 
very  rapidly.  Seeing  him  thus  aged,  and  feeling  that  he  would 
be  less  likely  to  ridicule  him  than  the  others,  Derrick  vent- 
ured to  ask  him  if  there  was  really  any  danger  of  a  general 
caving  in  of  that  part  of  the  mine. 

"  Hoot,  lad  !  there's  alius  danger  in  t'  mine,"  was  the  reply. 
"  But  if  ye  mean  is  there  more  now  than  ordinary,  I'd  answer 
ye  '  No.'  It's  a  common  thing  this  squeezing  and  settling  of 
a  mine,  and  times  there's  men  killed  by  it,  but  more  often 
it's  quieted  without  harm  bein'  done.  No,  no,  lad  ;  haud  ye 
no  fears !  I'd  bid  ye  gang  oot  an  I  thocht  ye  war  in  danger." 

Although  Derrick  was  greatly  comforted  by  these  words, 
he  could  not  help  dreading  to  hear  more  of  the  rock  explo- 
sions, which  are  caused  by  the  roof,  walls,  and  pillars  of  the 
mine  giving  slightly  beneath  the  vast  crushing  weight  of 
material  above  them.  When  he  reached  Paul  Evert's  sta- 
tion, and  found  that  the  crippled  lad  had  heard  some  of  the 


1 86     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

same  loud  snappings  and  crackings,  but  was  not  alarmed  at 
them,  he  felt  ashamed  of  his  own  fears,  and  casting  them 
entirely  aside,  asked  to  see  what  the  other  was  drawing. 

Paul  was  very  fond  of  drawing  with  a  pencil,  or  bit  of 
charcoal,  or  anything  that  came  to  his  hand,  on  all  sorts  of 
surfaces,  and  really  showed  great  skill  in  his  rude  sketches 
of  the  common  objects  about  him.  Since  coming  into  the 
mine  he  had  found  more  time  to  indulge  his  taste  than  ever 
before ;  and  though  his  only  light  was  the  wretched  little 
lamp  in  his  cap,  he  had  produced  some  beautiful  copies  of 
the  dainty  ferns  and  curious  patterns  imprinted  on  the 
walls  about  him.  He  had  also  afforded  Derrick  great  amuse- 
ment by  making  for  him  several  sketches  of  Socrates  the 
wise  rat  in  various  attitudes.  Until  this  time  he  had  never 
hesitated  before  showing  his  friend  any  of  his  efforts,  but 
now  he  did,  and  it  was  only  after  much  urging  that  he  re- 
luctantly handed  Derrick  the  sheet  of  paper  on  which  he 
had  been  working. 

It  was  an  outline  sketch  of  the  figures  composing  their 
underground  picnic  party  of  the  day  before,  including  Soc- 
rates, and  Derrick  had  no  sooner  set  eyes  on  it  than  he 
declared  he  must  have  it. 

"  I  was  doing  it  for  you,  *  Dare,'  "  said  Paul,  using  his  espe- 
cial pet  name  for  Derrick,  which  he  never  did  except  when 
they  were  alone.  "  But  you  must  let  me  finish  it,  and  that 
will  take  some  time  ;  there  is  so  much  to  put  in,  and  my 
light  is  so  bad." 

Derrick  was  obliged  to  agree  to  this,  though  he  would 


POLLY'S   PICTURE-GALLERY. 


A  "  Squeeze  "  and  a  Fall  of  Rock,  1 89 

have  valued  the  sketch  just  as  it  was,  and  handing  it  back, 
he  went  on  towards  where  Paul  thought  his  father  was  at 
work.  At  last  he  found  him,  in  a  distant  heading  that 
was  exhausted  and  about  to  be  abandoned,  engaged  in  the 
dangerous  task  of  "  robbing  back." 

In  cutting  into  a  vein  it  is  often  necessary  to  leave  walls 
and  pillars  of  solid  coal  standing  to  support  the  roof,  and 
when  the  workings  about  them  are  exhausted  it  is  custom- 
ary to  break  away  these  supports  for  the  sake  of  what  coal 
they  contain.  This  is  called  "  robbing  back,"  and  is  so  dan- 
gerous a  job  that  only  the  very  best  and  most  experienced 
miners  are  intrusted  with  it.  Sometimes  the  roof,  thus 
robbed  of  its  support,  falls,  and  sometimes  it  does  not.  If 
it  does  fall,  perhaps  the  miner  "  robber  "  gets  killed,  and 
perhaps  he  escapes  entirely,  or  with  only  bruises  and  cuts. 

Tom  Evert  was  a  "  company  man ;"  that  is,  he  received 
regular  wages  from  the  company  owning  the  mine,  no  mat- 
ter what  quantity  of  coal  he  sent  out,  or  what  kind  of  work 
he  was  engaged  upon.  Most  of  the  other  men  were  paid 
so  much  per  cubic  yard,  or  so  much  by  the  car-load,  for  all 
the  coal  they  mined.  Evert  was  considered  one  of  the  best 
workmen  in  the  mine,  and  for  that  reason  was  often  em- 
ployed on  the  most  dangerous  jobs.  On  this  occasion  he 
was  "  robbing  back  "  in  company  with  another  skilful  min- 
er ;  but  they  had  only  one  helper  between  them.  The  burly 
miner  would  have  been  glad  to  welcome  any  addition  to 
their  force,  but  he  greeted  Derrick  with  especial  cordiality, 
for  the  boy  was  a  great  favorite  with  him. 


1 90    Derrick  Sterling; :  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"  It  does  me  good  to  see  thee,  lad,"  he  exclaimed,  when 
Derrick  reported  to  him  as  helper,  "and  I'll  be  proud  to 
have  thy  feyther's  son  working  alongside  of  me.  Pick  up 
yon  shovel  and  help  load  the  wagon,  while  we  tackle  this 
chunk  a  bit  more,  and  see  if  H^e  can't  fetch  it." 

A  miner's  helper  has  to  do  all  kinds  of  work,  such  as 
running  to  the  blacksmith's  with  tools  that  need  sharpen- 
ing, directing  the  course  of  drills  beneath  the  heavy  hammer 
blows,  holding  lamps  in  dark  places,  loading  cars,  or  anything 
else  for  which  he  may  prove  useful.  Shovelling  coal  into  a 
car  is  perhaps  the  hardest  of  all,  and  this  was  what  Derrick 
was  now  set  at.  It  was  hard,  back -aching,  work,  but  he 
was  fresh  and  strong,  and  he  took  hold  of  it  heartily  and 
vigorously. 

Suddenly  he  dropped  his  shovel,  sprang  at  Tom  Evert, 
who  was  stooping  down  to  pick  up  a  drill,  and  gave  him  so 
violent  a  push  that  he  was  sent  sprawling  on  his  face  some 
little  distance  away.  Carried  forward  by  his  own  impetus. 
Derrick  fell  on  top  of  the  prostrate  miner.  Behind,  and  so 
close  to  them  that  they  were  covered  with  its  flying  splint- 
ers, crashed  down  the  great  pillar  of  coal,  weighing  several 
tons,  that  the  "robbers"  had  been  working  on.  It  had,  un- 
expectedly given  way  before  their  efforts,  and  would  have 
crushed  Tom  Evert  beyond  human  recognition  but  for  Der- 
rick's quick  eye  and  prompt  action. 

When  the  big  miner  regained  his  feet  he  appeared  dazed, 
and  seemed  not  to  realize  the  full  character  of  the  danger 
he  had  so  narrowly  escaped.     He  gazed  at  the  fallen  mass 


A  "  Squeeze'"  and  a  Fall  of  Rock,  191 

for  a  moment,  and  then,  appreciating  what  had  happened,  he 
seized  Derrick's  hand,  and  shaking  it  warmly,  said,  "  That's 
one  I  owe  thee,  lad.  Now  we'll  knock  off,  for  I'll  do  no  more 
^  robbing '  this  day." 

On  their  way  to  the  foot  of  the  slope  the  little  party  met 
the  mine  boss,  superintending  the  placing  of  new  timbers, 
and  taking  such  other  precautions  as  his  experience  sug- 
gested against  the  effects  of  the  "  squeeze,"  which  still  con- 
tinued, though  less  violently  than  when  Derrick  entered  the 
mine.  He  was  surprised  at  seeing  them  thus  early,  for  it 
wanted  nearly  an  hour  of  quitting-time.  When  he  heard  of 
Tom  Evert's  narrow  escape,  he  acknowledged  that  they  had 
a  good  excuse  for  knocking  off,  and  complimented  Derrick 
upon  his  presence  of  mind. 

"  By-the-way,  Tom,"  he  said,  "  you  may  quit  '  robbing ' 
for  a  few  days.  I  want  you  and  your  partner  to  go  down 
on  the  lower  level  and  pipe  off  the  water  that's  collecting 
in  the  old  gangway — the  one  in  which  Job  Taskar  was  killed, 
you  know." 

"It'll  be  a  ticklish  job,  boss." 

"  I  know  it,  and  that's  the  reason  I  send  the  steadiest  man 
in  the  mine  to  do  it.  It's  got  to  be  done  by  somebody,  or 
else  it  will  break  through  some  day  and  flood  the  whole  low- 
er level." 

"  All  right,  sir ;  I'll  do  my  best  wi'  it ;  but  I'll  be  more'n 
glad  when  it's  safe  done." 

With  this  Tom  Evert  went  on  towards  the  slope ;  but 
Derrick  stayed  behind  with  the  mine  boss  to  learn  what  he 


192     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

might  of  the  operation  of  placing  the  timber  supports  of  a 
mine  roof. 

He  had  not  watched  this  work  long  when  a  distant  muf- 
fled sound,  something  like  that  of  a  blast,  and  yet  plainly 
not  produced  by  an  explosion,  reached  their  ears.  Although 
not  loud,  it  was  an  ominous,  awe-inspiring  sound ;  and  Der- 
rick would  have  taken  to  his  heels  and  made  for  the  bottom 
of  the  slope  had  not  his  pride  kept  him  where  he  was. 

To  his  surprise  the  mine  boss,  who  had  listened  intently 
to  the  sound  while  it  lasted,  seemed  to  regard  it  as  a  most 
natural  occurrence.  Giving  a  few  directions  to  his  men,  he 
turned  to  the  boy,  saying,  "  Come,  Derrick,  let  us  go  and  see 
what  is  the  trouble  back  in  there." 

For  an  instant  Derrick  looked  at  him  to  see  if  he  were 
really  in  earnest ;  then  realizing  that  he  was,  he  followed 
him  without  a  word. 

When  they  reached  Paul  E  vert's  door,  the  mine  boss  said, 
"  It's  quitting-time,  Paul ;  so  get  out  of  this  as  quickly  as 
you  can.  It  is  just  possible  that  we  may  all  have  to  run," 
he  explained  to  Derrick,  after  Paul  had  obeyed  his  order 
and  left  them,  "  and  in  that  case  all  those  using  crutches 
will  need  a  good  start." 

Of  course  this  did  not  greatly  reassure  Derrick,  and  he 
would  gladly  have  followed  his  friend  Paul  had  not  duty 
commanded  him  to  remain  with  his  friend  the  mine  boss. 

Finally  they  reached  the  place  where,  less  than  an  hour 
before.  Derrick  had  been  helping  to  "  rob  "  the  old  heading  ; 
and  here  they  discovered  the  cause  of  the  sound  they  had 


A  "  Squeeze''  and  a  Fall  of  Rock,  193 

heard.  The  roof  above  that  entire  set  of  workings,  so  far 
as  they  could  judge,  had  fallen ;  and  had  not  Tom  Evert 
decided  to  quit  work  when  he  did,  it  is  probable  that  no 
trace  would  ever  have  been  found  of  him  or  those  with  him. 

Derrick  felt  deeply  thankful  that  his  life  had  been  thus 
preserved,  as  he  walked  thoughtfully  beside  the  mine  boss 
away  from  the  scene  of  disaster. 

"  How  invariably  Nature  asserts  herself  in  the  end,  and 
defies  the  puny  efforts  of  man  to  alter  her  ways,"  said  Mr. 
Jones  to  himself,  musingly.  Then  to  his  companion  he 
said,  "  I  brought  you  with  me  to  try  you.  Derrick.  I  hated 
to  come  myself,  for  I  did  not  know  what  might  be  going 
on,  after  all  these  squeezes  and  movements  of  the  mine.  It 
had  to  be  done,  though,  and  it  seemed  a  good  opportunity 
for  testing  your  courage,  so  I  asked  you  to  come  with  me. 
As  a  mining  engineer,  you  will  often  be  called  upon  to  per- 
form similar  unpleasant  and  dangerous  tasks." 

"  I  was  afraid,  and  didn't  want  to  come  one  bit,"  said 
Derrick,  with  a  nervous  laugh. 

"That  doesn't  make  any  difference.  I  was  afraid  too, 
but  we  came  all  the  same.  The  proof  of  your  courage  is 
not  whether  you  are  afraid  to  do  a  thing  or  not,  but  wheth- 
er or  not  you  do  it." 

So  Derrick's  courage  was  tested,  and  withstood  the  test, 
which  was  indeed  fortunate ;  for,  within  a  short  time,  he 
was  to  be  placed  in  a  position  that  would  try  the  courage 
of  the  bravest  man  in  the  world. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

BURSTING   OF   AN    UNDERGROUND   BESERVOIB. 

UPON  reaching  the  surface  that  evening,  Derrick  and 
the  mine  boss  found  that  the  weather  had  greatly 
changed  since  noon  and  that  a  storm  threatened.  It  set  in 
that  night,  and  the  rain  poured  down  in  a  steady,  determined 
sort  of  way,  as  thougli  it  had  made  up  its  mind  that  this 
time,  at  least,  the  earth  should  be  thoroughly  watered. 

When  Derrick  joined  the  other  miners  at  the  mouth  of 
the  slope  in  the  morning,  it  was  still  raining,  and  as  they 
were  lowered  into  the  underground  world,  the  men  joked 
with  each  other  about  getting  in  out  of  the  wet,  and  pitied 
the  poor  fellows  who  were  obliged  to  work  above-ground  on 
such  a  day. 

Descending  the  second  slope  into  the  lowest  level  of  the 
mine,  Tom  Evert  and  his  party  made  an  examination  of  the 
place  in  which  they  were  to  work.  The  new  excavations 
on  this  level  were  of  limited  extent,  work  having  only  re- 
cently been  begun  on  them  ;  but  a  powerful  pump  had  been 
placed  at  the  top  of  the  slope  leading  down  into  them,  and 
it  was  to  bring  the  accumulated  water  in  the  old  workings 
within  reach  of  it  that  the  mine  boss  had  sent  them  down. 

Going  up  the  old  gangway,  past  the  chamber  at  the  foot 


Bursting  of  an  Underground  Reservoir,     195 

of  the  air-shaft  which  Derrick  had  such  good  reason  to  re 
member,  they  soon  came  to  the  fallen  mass  of  rock,  coal, 
and  earth  through  which  thej  were  to  cut  a  channel  and 
insert  a  pipe  for  the  release  of  the  water  beyond.  The  ma- 
terial was  too  loose  for  blasting,  so  the  work  had  to  be  done 
with  pick  and  shovel,  and  the  debris  removed  with  wheel- 
barrows, and  distributed  along  the  gangway.  It  was  hard, 
dangerous,  and  exhausting  work,  and  at  the  end  of  three 
days  Derrick  was  heartily  tired  of  it. 

Still  the  rain  poilred  steadily  down,  and  people  in  the 
upper  world  began  to  talk  of  danger  from  floods,  and  great 
damage  to  the  ungathered  crops.  Even  in  the  mine  the  ef- 
fect of  the  heavy  rain  began  to  be  noticed.  The  drippings 
from  the  roof  fell  thicker  and  faster,  the  tricklings  down 
the  walls  became  little  rivulets,  and  the  black  streams  in  the 
ditches  swirled  along  angrily.  The  great  pumps  worked 
steadily,  night  and  day,  at  their  fullest  speed,  and  from  the 
mouths  of  the  waste-pipes  young  rivers  of  black  water 
were  poured ;  but  the  mine  grew  constantly  wetter  and  more 
uncomfortable. 

Finally  the  mine  boss  decided  that  it  was  almost  time  to 
temporarily  abandon  the  lower  workings,  and  allow  them  to 
fill  up,  so  that  the  whole  force  of  both  pumps  might  be  di- 
rected towards  keeping  the  upper  level  free  of  water.  He 
spoke  to  Tom  Evert  of  this,  and  the  latter  begged  for  just 
one  day  more,  as  he  thought  he  had  nearly  cut  through  to 
the  water,  and  was  anxious  to  get  the  pipe  laid,  and  have 
that  job  off  his  hands. 


196    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  "you  may  have  one  day, 
Tom,  and  no  more  until  after  the  rain  stops ;  for  without 
both  pumps  in  the  upper  level  we  shall,  v^ry  soon,  have  to 
shut  down  altogether." 

During  the  morning  of  that  fourth  day  they  uncovered 
a  wall  of  rock,  which  barred  their  way  completely,  and  Tom 
Evert  decided  that  at  least  one  blast  would  be  necessary  to 
force  an  opening  through  it.  After  lunch-time  he  left  the 
other  miner,  with  the  two  helpers,  to  drill  a  hole  in  it,  while 
he  went  up  into  the  village  to  procure  some  powder  and 
fuse  for  the  work. 

Those  left  below  had  not  been  long  at  work  when  Der- 
rick noticed  a  little  stream  of  water  spurting  out  at  one  side 
of  the  rock.  He  called  the  attention  of  the  miner  to  it,  and 
he,  without  a  word,  sprang  to  the  place  and  tried  to  check 
the  stream,  first  with  earth,  and  then  with  strips  torn  from 
his  shirt,  but  could  not.  As  he  stopped  its  flow  at  one 
point,  it  burst  out  at  another. 

Finally  he  exclaimed,  "  It's  no  use,  boys !  we'll  never  be 
able  to  draw  this  water  ofE  through  any  pipe ;  it's  going  to 
take  that  business  into  its  own  hands,  and  the  best  thing  we 
can  do  is  to  get  out  of  here  quick  as  we  know  how." 

Even  as  he  spoke  there  came  a  rattling  rush  of  earth  and 
loose  rock,  followed  by  the  roar  of  angry  waters,  as  they 
leaped  out  of  the  blackness  like  a  savage  animal  upon  its 
prey.  The  long  pent-up  waters,  swollen  by  the  heavy  rains 
and  scorning  any  effort  to  draw  them  off  gradually,  had 
burst  forth  in  all  their  fury,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes 


Bursting  of  an  Underground  Reservoir,     197 

to  write  of  it,  the  old  gangway  was  filled  with  the  surging 
torrent. 

At  the  first  outbreak  Derrick  and  his  companions  started 
to  run  for  their  lives  down  the  gangway,  but  as  they  reached 
the  door  of  the  Mollies'  meeting-room  the  torrent  was  upon 
them.  They  had  barely  time  to  spring  inside  the  door  and 
close  it  as  the  mad  waters  swept  past.  The  door  offered  but 
a  momentary  protection,  but  ere  it  had  been  crushed  in  they 
were  climbing  the  old  air-shaft  towards  the  upper  level.  It 
was  a  desperate  undertaking,  for  the  few  timber  braces  left 
by  those  who  had  cut  the  shaft  were  so  far  apart  that  often 
they  had  to  dig  little  holes  for  their  hands  and  feet  in  the 
coal  of  the  sides,  and  thus  work  their  way  slowly  and  pain- 
fully upward.  It  was  their  only  chance,  and  they  knew  it, 
for  they  could  hear  the  detached  bits  of  falling  coal  and 
rock  splash  into  the  water  as  it  rose  in  the  shaft  behind 
them. 

Finally  they  reached  the  top.  As  they  drew  themselves 
wearily,  with  almost  the  last  of  their  strength,  over  the  edge, 
and  lay  on  the  floor  of  the  gangway,  they  were  filled  with 
new  terror  at  seeing  the  light  from  their  lamps  reflected 
in  the  black  waters  apparently  but  a  few  feet  below  them. 
The  water  was  evidently  rising  into  the  upper  level,  and  be- 
fore long  their  present  place  of  refuge  would  be  flooded. 
Urged  by  this  peril,  they  made  all  possible  speed  down  the 
gangway  into  the  new  workings  at  the  foot  of  the  slope, 
where  they  were  confronted  by  a  scene  of  the  greatest  con- 
fusion. 


198    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

The  gangways,  headings,  chambers,  and  breasts  of  the  low 
er  vein  were  already  full  of  the  turbid  flood,  and  the  few 
miners  who  had  been  at  work  down  there  had  barely  escaped 
with  their  lives  into  the  level  above.  Now  the  water  was 
rising  so  rapidly  that  it  was  evident  the  upper  level  would 
also  be  flooded  in  a  few  minutes. 

In  the  great  chamber  at  the  bottom  of  the  slope  that  led 
to  the  upper  world  and  safety,  miners  were  flocking  from 
all  parts  of  the  workings.  Some  were  trying  to  drive  fright- 
ened mules  up  the  travelling-road ;  others  were  throwing 
movable  property  into  cars  to  be  drawn  up  the  slope,  and 
others  still  were  crowding  into  the  same  cars,  that  they  too 
might  reach  a  place  of  safety. 

The  two  men  who  were  with  Derrick  ran  to  one  of  these 
cars,  calling  on  him  to  follow  them.  It  was  already  so 
crowded  that  they  could  not  wedge  themselves  into  it,  so 
they  clung  on  behind,  and  were  thus  dragged  up  the  slope. 

That  Derrick  did  not  follow  them  was  because  he  thought 
of  Paul  Evert.  Poor  little  lame  Paul !  where  was  he  amid 
all  this  danger  and  confusion  ?  Had  he  already  got  out  of 
the  mine,  or  was  he  still  at  his  station  back  in  the  dark 
gangway,  unmindful  of  danger  ?  Perhaps  somebody  had 
seen  him.  Derrick  shouted,  "  Where  is  Paul  Evert  ?  Has 
anybody  seen  him  ?" 

The  answer  came  in  the  voice  of  one  of  the  mule-boys. 
*'  Yes,  I  seed  him,  'bout  five  minutes  ago,  when  I  run  out  de 
las'  load.     He  ain't  come  out  yet." 

Could  Derrick  leave  him  down  there,  to  take  his  chances 


Bursting  of  an  U^iderground  Reservoir,     1 99 

of  getting  out  or  drowning,  while  he  sought  safety  for  him- 
self? 

With  one  instant  of  agonized  thought  he  decided  that  he 
could  not.  Snatching  up  a  can  of  oil  on  which  his  eye  hap- 
pened to  light  as  it  stood  by  the  track  just  at  the  foot  of 
the  slope,  he  dashed  into  gangway  No.  1,  shouting  as  he  did 
so,  "  I'm  going  to  try  and  get  Paul  Evert  out !  If  we  don't 
get  back  come  and  look  for  us ;  we'll  hold  out  as  long  as  we 
can." 

They  tried  to  stop  him,  and  shouted  to  him  to  come  back ; 
that  there  was  no  hope,  and  he  was  only  throwing  away  his 
own  life ;  but  he  paid  no  attention  to  them,  and  was  gone 
before  they  could  prevent  him. 

He  had  hardly  disappeared  from  their  sight  when  the 
water  began  to  rush  and  roar  up  from  the  mouth  of  the 
lower  slope,  in  a  froth  -  crowned,  surging  torrent.  At  the 
same  instant  it  poured  out  from  the  old  gangway,  to  which 
it  had  gained  access  through  the  air-shaft  up  which  Derrick 
and  his  companions  had  escaped. 

They  knew  by  its  great  leaps  and  spurts  that  some  other 
reservoir  had  broken  loose,  and  that  before  it  found  the 
level  it  was  seeking  the  whole  mine  must  be  flooded  and 
drowned.  There  was  no  more  thought  of  saving  property, 
but  each  man  became  intent  only  on  escaping  with  his  life 
from  the  swirling  flood. 

They  had  got  several  cars  fastened  together,  ready  foi 
such  an  emergency,  and  now  these  were  quickly  filled  with 
grimy-faced,  frightened  men  and  boys.    Tlie  signal  was  given 


200    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mi^ies, 

to  hoist.  There  came  a  strain  on  the  great  cable,  and  as  the 
fierce  waters  rushed  at  them,  and  even  flung  their  black,  wet 
arms  about  them  as  if  to  hold  them  back,  the  cars  were  drawn 
up,  slowly  up,  beyond  reach  of  the  destroying  flood,  towards 
daylight  and  safety. 

At  the  top  of  the  slope  was  another  scene  of  wild  anxiety 
and  confusion  most  pitiable  to  witness.  Men,  women,  and 
children  stood,  without  other  protection  than  their  thin  gar- 
ments, in  the  pitiless  rain,  praying,  shouting,  discussing,  ask- 
ing questions  which  nobody  could  answer,  and  crowding  for- 
ward to  scan,  with  breathless  anxiety,  the  faces  of  each  car-load 
of  miners  as  it  reached  the  surface. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  slope  stood  Mr.  Jones,  in  constant 
communication  with  a  trusty  fellow  down  in  the  mine,  at  the 
other  end  of  the  speaking-tube.  With  him  were  half  a  dozen 
steady  men,  upon  whom  he  could  depend,  and  to  whom  he 
had  given  orders  not  to  allow  a  living  soul  to  go  down  in  any 
of  the  empty  cars  he  was  despatching  as  rapidly  as  possible 
to  those  below. 

"  There  are  plenty  down  there  now,"  he  said,  "  and  per' 
haps  more  than  can  be  drawn  up  before  the  water  reaches 
them.  You  can  do  no  good  there  yet  awhile.  When  the 
time  comes  that  I  want  volunteers  to  go  down  I'll  let  you 
know  fast  enough."  He  kept  the  mouth  of  the  trav- 
elling-road similarly  guarded,  and  no  one  was  allowed  to 
descend. 

Among  those  who  pressed  close  to  him,  and  begged,  almost 
with  tears  in  their  eyes,  to  be  allowed  to  go  down  and  make 


Burstmg  of  aji  Under grou7id  Reservoir.     20 1 

one  effort  to  save  their  loved  ones  before  the  waters  reached 
them,  was  burly  Tom  Evert. 

"  My  lad,  my  crippled  lad's  down  there,  boss ;  ye  can't  re- 
fuse a  feyther  the  chance  to  save  his  boy,"  pleaded  the  big 
miner. 

"Tom,  if  he's  not  already  at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  you 
know  as  well  as  I  that  there's  not  one  chance  in  ten  thou- 
sand of  finding  and  getting  him  out.  They  tell  me  the  wa- 
ter's rising  fast  on  the  upper  level  already.  No,  my  poor  fel- 
low, you  must  wait  a  bit.  You're  to  be  my  right-hand  man 
in  the  work  that  I  fear  is  ahead  of  us.  I  can't  let  you  throw 
away  your  life  without  a  chance  of  its  doing  good." 

"  And  Derrick,  boss,  the  brave  lad  I  left  in  the  low  level 
facing  the  waters.  It's  fearful  to  think  on.  If  he's  drownded 
and  my  lad's  drownded,  their  death  '11  be  on  my  hands.  I 
might  ha'  gone  more  slow  and  cautious  like.  I  might  ha' 
kep'  out  altogether  the  day,  an'  let  the  low  level  flood,  as  ye 
talked  of,  boss,  but  for  being  a  pig-headed  fool." 

"  Don't  take  on  that  way,  Tom.  Cheer  up,  man.  You'll 
see  them  all  coming  up  out  of  the  trouble  safe  and  sound 
yet.  And  don't  take  this  matter  to  heart  as  your  doing.  If 
there's  any  blame  to  be  placed  it's  on  my  head ;  but  I  don't 
think  there's  blame  to  be  placed  on  any  of  us.  There's  One 
above  who  rules  such  matters,  and  who  sends  rain  and  floods 
as  He  does  the  sunshine,  all  for  some  wise  purpose." 

Just  then  word  came  up  the  speaking-tube  that  the  water 
was  gaining  so  fast  that  all  hands  were  about  to  leave  the 
mine.     At  the  same  instant  the  harsh  clang  of  the  engine- 


202    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

room  gong  was  heard.  The  wire  cable  was  strained  taut,  and 
then  began  to  move  slowly  over  its  rollers.  "  They  are  com- 
ing !"  shouts  the  mine  boss.  "  Stand  back  and  give  them 
room." 

But  the  crowd  could  not  stand  back.  Who  were  coming  ? 
Were  all  there,  or  were  some  left  ?  It  was  not  in  human 
nature  to  stand  back.  They  must  see,  and  learn  the  worst 
at  once. 

Oh,  how  slowly  the  cable  moved !  How  terrible  was  the 
suspense !  A  great  silence  fell  upon  the  waiting  people.  It 
was  unbroken  save  by  the  creaking  of  the  rollers  on  the 
slope,  the  pattering  of  rain-drops,  and  an  occasional  hyster- 
ical sob. 

At  last  the  twinkling  lights  are  seen  down  in  the  black- 
ness. Then  the  first  car  comes  in  sight ;  then  another,  and 
another,  until  at  last  the  entire  train,  with  its  human  freight, 
has  reached  the  surface. 

"  Stay  where  you  are,  men !"  commands  the  mine  boss, 
"  Answer  to  your  names  as  I  call  them  off." 

The  young  man's  voice  rings  out  sharp  and  clear  as  he 
calls  the  long  roll,  beginning,  "  Adams,  Andrews,  Apgar," 
and  so  on  down  the  alphabet  to  "Zegler;"  and  clear  and 
prompt  come  back  the  answers,  "  Here,  here,  here,"  of  those 
who  have  come  up  from  the  pit. 

At  last  it  is  finished,  and  the  awful  truth  is  known.  Nine 
men  and  boys  are  unaccounted  for,  and  they  were  not  at 
the  foot  of  the  slope  when  the  cruel  waters  sprang  into  the 
great  chamber  and  the  last  car  was  drawn  up.     Nine  are 


Bursting  of  an  Underground  Reservoir,     205 

down  there,  alive  or  dead ;  and  among  tliem  are  Derrick 
Sterling,  Paul  Evert,  and  Monk  Tooley. 

With  the  cries  and  tears  of  joy  over  those  who  had  come 
up  and  were  restored  to  loving  hearts,  a  shudder  passed  over 
the  assembly,  and  a  groan  of  anguish  rose  from  it  that  was 
pierced  by  a  single  sharp  cry.  It  was  that  of  a  widowed 
mother  for  her  only  son. 

Springing  on  an  empty  car,  and  standing  where  all  could 
see  him,  the  mine  boss  spoke  to  them. 

"  It  will  all  come  out  right  yet,"  he  said.  "  Keep  up  your 
courage.  Those  brave  fellows  down  there  are  not  going  to 
let  themselves  be  drowned  like  rats  in  a  hole.  They'll  make 
a  strong  fight  for  life  first,  and  it's  going  to  be  a  fight  that 
we  can  help  them  in.  They're  safe  enough  for  the  present, 
in  some  high  place  beyond  the  reach  of  the  water,  and  there 
they'll  stay  till  we  go  for  them  and  fetch  them  out.  We'll 
have  two  more  pumps  here  and  at  work  before  morning. 
They  will  soon  make  room  for  us  to  work  down  there. 
Then  if  we  don't  find  the  lads  we're  after,  we  are  no  miners, 
that's  all.     There's  a  promise  for  you  now !     See  it,  men  ?" 

With  this  the  speaker  pointed  to  the  eastern  sky,  and  all 
eyes  were  turned  in  that  direction.  From  horizon  to  hori- 
zon it  was  spanned  by  a  glorious  rainbow.  One  end  rested 
on  the  opposite  side  of  their  own  valley,  above  the  old 
workings  of  the  mine,  while  the  other  was  uplifted  on  a 
lofty  mountain-top.  In  the  west  the  sun  had  broken  through 
the  black  rain-clouds,  and  was  now  sinking  in  a  glory  that 
passes  description. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

IMPRISONED   IN   THE    FLOODED    MINE. 

ME.  IIALFORD  looked  up  from  the  paper  that  he  was 
reading  at  the  breakfast- table  in  the  pleasant  Phila- 
delphia home,  and  exclaimed,  "  Here's  an  account  of  a  terri- 
ble colliery  disaster,  wife ;  and  I  do  believe  it  is  in  Warren 
Jones's  mine,  the  very  one  you  and  Nellie  visited  a  few 
days  ago." 

"  Oh,  husband,  it  can't  be !" 

"  It  certainly  is,  though.  '  Raven  Brook  Colliery.  Flooded 
last  evening  just  as  men  were  about  to  quit  work.  Rushing 
waters  cut  olf  retreat  of  nine  men  and  boys,  of  whose  fate 
nothing  is  yet  known.  Rest  escape.  Water  still  rising. 
But  little  hope  of  a  rescue.  Following  is  list  of  victims : 
Sterling,  Evert,  Tooley— '  " 

"  Not  Derrick  Sterling,  father,  nor  Paul  Evert,  nor  Bill 
Tooley  ?"  interrupted  Miss  Nellie,  as  she  left  her  seat  and 
went  to  look  over  his  shoulder. 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  those  are  the  very  names.  Derrick,  Paul, 
and  Monk — not  Bill — Tooley;  and  here  is  something  more 
about  one  of  them  : 

"  *  Derrick  Sterling,  whose  name  appears  among  those  of 


Imprisoned  in  the  Flooded  Mine,  207 

the  victims,  is  the  only  son  of  the  late  Gilbert  Sterling,  a 
mining  engineer,  formerly  well  known  in  this  city.  The 
young  man  was  seen  at  the  foot  of  the  slope  just  before  the 
final  rush  of  waters.  He  might  easily  have  escaped,  but 
went  back  into  the  mine  in  the  vain  attempt  to  save  his 
friend  Paul  Evert,  a  crippled  lad.  He  fully  realized  the 
terrible  risk  he  was  running,  for  his  last  words  were,  "  If  we 
don't  get  out,  come  and  look  for  us."  This  is  a  notable  in- 
stance of  modern  heroism,  and  is  an  example  of  that  great- 
est of  all  love  which  is  willing  to  sacrifice  life  for  friend- 


"  Poor  Derrick  !  Poor  little  Paul !  Oh,  it  is  too  aw- 
ful !"  and  tender-hearted  Nellie  Halford  burst  into  tears. 

So  all  the  world  knew  that  Derrick  Sterling  was  a  hero, 
and  that,  alive  or  dead,  he  was  somewhere  in  that  flooded 
mine.  After  that  morning  thousands  of  people  who  had 
never  heard  his  name  before  eagerly  scanned  the  daily  pa- 
pers for  more  news  concerning  him  and  the  poor  fellows 
whose  fate  he  was  sharing. 

Derrick  had  not  gone  far  in  his  search  for  Paul  Evert 
when  his  lamp,  which  had  been  burning  dimly  for  some 
minutes,  though  unnoticed  in  his  excitement,  gave  an  expir- 
ing flash  and  went  out.  The  boy's  first  impulse  was  to  re- 
turn to  the  foot  of  the  slope  for  a  new  supply  of  oil.  Then 
he  remembered  that  he  had  a  canful  with  him,  the  one  he 
had  almost  unconsciously  snatched  up  when  he  started  on 
his  present  errand.  Filling  the  lamp  in  the  dark  was  slow 
work,  and  occupied  several  minutes  of  valuable  time. 


2o8    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

While  thus  engaged  his  ear  caught  the  sound  of  rushing 
waters  that  seemed  to  come  from  out  of  the  darkness  be- 
hind him.  Nearer  and  nearer  it  came,  and  it  grew  louder 
and  louder,  as  with  trembling  hand  he  struck  a  match  and 
relighted  his  lamp.  Its  first  gleam  fell  upon  a  wall  of  black 
waters  rolling  rapidly  towards  him,  up  the  gangway,  breast- 
high,  and  cutting  off  all  chance  of  escape. 

What  should  he  do  ?  It  was  useless  to  run ;  the  waters 
could  run  faster  than  he.  It  would  be  impossible  to  stem 
that  fierce  current  and  fight  his  way  out  against  it.  Must 
he,  then,  die,  alone  in  that  awful  place  with  no  sound  save 
the  roar  of  waters  in  his  ears  ?  Could  it  be  that  he  should 
never  again  see  his  mother  and  little  Helen  and  the  sun- 
light ?  Was  his  life  over,  and  must  he  be  carried  away  by 
the  black  flood  that  was  reaching  out  to  seize  him  ? 

Like  a  flash  these  thoughts  passed  through  his  mind,  and 
like  another  flash  came  a  ray  of  hope.  Close  beside  him 
was  the  mouth  of  a  chute  belonging  to  a  breast  that  he 
knew  followed  the  slant  of  the  vein  upward  for  a  great  dis- 
tance. 

He  sprang  towards  it,  flung  his  oil-can  into  it,  and  in  an- 
other moment,  though  the  chute  was  above  his  head,  he  had 
climbed  the  slippery  wall  and  entered  it.  As  he  drew  him- 
self up  beyond  their  reach  the  savage  waters  made  a  fierce 
leap  after  him,  and  swept  on  with  an  angry,  snarling  roar. 
A  few  minutes  later  they  had  risen  above  the  mouth  of  the 
chute  and  completely  filled  the  gangway.  Derrick  was  en- 
tombed, and  the  door  was  sealed  behind  him. 


Imprisoned  in  the  Flooded  Mine.  209 

In  the  mean  time  a  similar  escape  was  being  effected  but 
a  short  distance  from  him,  though  he  knew  nothing  of  it. 
Monk  Tooley  and  four  other  men  working  near  him  in  a 
distant  part  of  the  mine  received  no  intimation  of  the  out- 
break of  waters  and  the  disaster  that  was  about  to  over- 
wlielm  them.  Their  first  warning  of  trouble  came  with  the 
stoppage  of  the  air- currents  that  supplied  them  with  the 
very  breath  of  life. 

For  a  few  minutes  they  waited  for  them  to  be  resumed ; 
then,  flinging  down  their  tools,  and  filled  with  a  strange  fear, 
they  started  through  the  maze  of  galleries  towards  the  slope. 
On  their  way  they  were  joined  by  Aleck,  the  blacksmith, 
and  Boodle,  his  helper.  Next  they  came  upon  Paul  Evert, 
standing  anxiously  by  his  door.  He  had  become  conscious, 
without  beiug  able  to  explain  how,  that  something  terrible 
was  about  to  happen,  though  he  had  no  idea  what  form  the 
terror  was  to  take. 

Joining  the  fugitives,  he  was  hobbling  along  as  fast  as 
possible,  and  trying  to  keep  pace  with  their  rapid  strides, 
when  Monk  Tooley  stooped,  picked  him  up,  and,  holding 
him  like  a  baby  in  his  strong  arms,  said,  "  We'll  get  on  faster 
dis  way,  lad." 

Half-way  to  the  slope  they  met  the  advancing  waters  from 
which  Derrick  had  just  escaped. 

The  miner  who  was  in  advance  gave  a  great  cry  of  "  It's 
a  flood,  mates,  and  it's  cut  us  off.     We're  all  dead  men !" 

"  No  we  beant !"  shouted  Monk  Tooley.  "  Up  wid  ye, 
men,  inter  de  breast  we  just  passed." 


2IO    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

Running  back  a  few  steps  to  the  mouth  of  a  chute  he  had 
noticed  a  moment  before,  the  miner  tossed  Paul  up  into  it 
much  in  the  same  way  that  Derrick  had  tossed  his  oil-can 
into  a  similar  opening.  Springing  up  after  him,  Tooley  lent 
a  hand  to  those  behind,  and  with  an  almost  supernatural 
strength  dragged  one  after  another  of  them  up  bodily  be- 
yond reach  of  the  flood.  Only  poor  Boodle  was  caught  by 
it  and  swept  off  his  feet ;  but  he  clutched  the  legs  of  the 
man  ahead  of  him,  and  both  were  drawn  up  together.  In 
another  minute  they  too  were  sealed  in  behind  an  impassa- 
ble wall  of  water. 

Although  they  did  not  know  it  at  the  time,  they  were  in 
a  chamber  adjoining  that  in  which  Derrick  had  sought  ref- 
uge, and  were  divided  from  him  only  by  a  single  wall  of 
coal  a  few  feet  thick.  It  was  a  very  small  chamber,  for  the 
coal  found  in  it  proving  of  an  inferior  quality,  it  had  quick- 
ly been  abandoned.  The  one  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
wall  from  them,  in  which  Derrick  found  himself,  was  of 
great  extent,  being  in  fact  several  breasts  or  chambers 
thrown  into  one  by  the  "robbing  out"  of  their  dividing 
walls  of  coal. 

"  Out  wid  yer  lights,  men !"  cried  Monk  Tooley  as  soon  as 
they  had  all  been  dragged  in.  "  De  air's  bad  enough  now, 
an'  de  lamps  '11  burn  de  life  outen  it.  Besides,  we'll  soon 
have  need  of  all  de  ile  dat's  left  in  'em." 

The  air  of  that  confined  space  was  already  heavy  and  close, 
with  eight  men  to  breathe  it,  and  eight  lamps  to  consume  its 
oxygen.     Extinguishing  all  the  others,  they  sat  around  otk' 


Imprisoned  m  the  Flooded  Mine,  211 

lamp,  pricked  down  low,  for  they  could  not  bear  the  thought 
of  absolute  darkness. 

Monk  Tooley  had  assumed  a  sort  of  leadership  among  them, 
and  by  virtue  of  it  he  ordered  every  lunch-pail  to  be  emp- 
tied of  what  scraps  of  food  it  contained,  and  all  of  it  to  be 
given  to  Paul  for  safe  keeping.  There  was  not  much — barely 
enough  of  broken  crusts  and  bits  of  meat  to  fill  Paul's  pail ; 
but  it  was  something,  and  must  be  doled  out  sparingly,  for 
already  the  men  gazed  at  it  with  hungry  eyes. 

Then  they  tried  to  talk  of  their  situation  and  discuss  the 
chances  of  escape.  On  this  subject  they  had  but  little  to  say, 
however,  for  they  all  knew  that  long  before  the  waters  could 
be  lowered  so  that  any  attempt  to  save  them  could  be  made, 
the  foul  air  of  that  small  chamber  would  have  done  its  fatal 
work.  Indeed,  they  knew  that  before  one  day  should  have 
passed  their  misery  would  be  ended. 

Even  as  they  tried  to  talk,  poor  Boodle,  saying  that  he  was 
sleepy,  lay  down  on  the  bare  rock  floor,  where  he  was  almost 
instantly  fast  asleep  and  breathing  heavily.  "  'Tis  like  he'll 
never  wake  again,"  said  one  of  the  miners,  gloomily. 

"  Lat  him  sleep,  then ;  'tis  the  easiest  way  out  of  it,"  re- 
sponded a  comrade. 

One  after  another  they  succumbed  to  the  effects  of  the 
heavy  atmosphere,  and  fell  asleep.  Finally,  all  excepting  the 
crippled  lad,  even  including  Monk  Tooley,  whose  light  Paul 
had  taken  and  set  beside  him,  lay  stretched  out  on  the  hard 
floor,  sound  asleep  and  breathing  in  a  distressed  manner. 

Paul  felt  drowsy,  but  the  horror  of  his  surroundings  was 


212     Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

too  great  to  admit  of  his  sleeping.  He  wanted  to  think,  and 
try  and  prepare  his  mind  for  the  awful  unknown  future  that 
overshadowed  him.  As  he  thought,  great  tears  began  to  run 
down  his  thin  cheeks,  then  came  a  choking  sob,  and  he  buried 
his  face  in  his  hands.  Gradually  he  became  calm  again,  and 
his  thoughts  resembled  delightful  dreams,  so  full  were  they  of 
pleasant  things.  In  another  moment  they  would  have  been 
dreams,  and  the  last  of  that  little  band  would  have  been 
wrapped  in  a  slumber  from  which  neither  he  nor  they  would 
ever  have  wakened.  From  this  condition  a  sharp  squeak 
caused  Paul  to  start  and  look  up. 

Directly  in  front  of  him,  and  so  close  that  he  could  have 
touched  it,  was  a  large  rat,  whose  eyes  twinkled  and  glistened 
in  the  lamplight.  As  Paul  lifted  his  head  it  uttered  another 
squeak  and  sat  up  on  its  hind-legs. 

"  I  do  believe  it's  Socrates,"  said  Paul ;  and  sure  enough 
it  was. 

Mechanically,  and  without  thinking  of  what  he  was  about, 
Paul  took  a  bit  of  meat  from  his  lunch-pail  and  tossed  it  to 
the  rat,  which  immediately  seized  it  in  its  mouth  and  scam- 
pered away.  Then  Paul  realized  that  he  was  wasting  pre- 
cious food,  and  made  a  vain  effort  to  catch  the  rat.  The  beast 
was  too  quick  for  him,  and  darted  away  towards  a  dark  cor- 
ner of  the  chamber,  whither  Paul  followed  it,  hoping  to  dis- 
cover its  nest  and  perhaps  recover  the  meat. 

He  saw  the  rat  run  into  a  hole  in  the  wall  about  two  feet 
above  the  floor ;  and  putting  his  face  down  to  it,  trying  to 
look  in,  he  felt  a  delicious  current  of  fresh  air.     It  was  not 


Imprisoned  in  the  Flooded  Mine,  213 

very  strong,  but  it  caused  the  flame  of  his  lamp  to  flicker, 
so  that  be  withdrew  it  hurriedly  for  fear  it  should  be  extin- 
guished. 

Suddenly  he  started  as  though  he  had  been  shot,  and 
almost  let  fall  the  lamp  in  his  excitement.  Had  he  heard  a 
human  voice  ?  Of  course  not !  How  absurd  to  imagine 
such  a  thing !     But  there  it  was  again ;  and  it  said, 

"  Holloa !     Is  anybody  in  there  ?" 

The  sound  came  to  his  ear  distinctly  enough  this  time 
through  the  hole,  and  placing  his  mouth  close  to  it,  Paul 
shouted  back, 

"  Holloa !  Yes,  we're  in  here,  and  we  want  to  get  out. 
Who  are  you  ?" 

The  boy  almost  screamed  for  joy  at  the  answer  which 
came  to  this  question ;  for  it  was, 

"  I'm  Derrick  Sterling.     Are  you  Paul  Evert  ?" 

Derrick  was  almost  as  greatly  affected  when  the  voice 
said, 

"  Yes,  I'm  Paul,  and  there  are  a  lot  more  of  us  in  here, 
and  we  are  stifling.  But  oh,  Derrick,  dear  Derrick !  I'm  so 
glad  you're  not  drowned." 

Then  Paul  went  back  to  the  others,  and  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  waken  them.  He  finally  succeeded ;  and  when 
they  comprehended  his  great  news,  each  one  had  to  go  to 
the  hole,  draw  in  a  deep  breath  of  the  fresh  air,  and  call 
through  it  to  Derrick,  for  the  sake  of  hearing  him  answer. 
It  was  so  good  to  hear  a  human  voice  besides  their  own ; 
and  though  they  knew  he  was  a  prisoner  like  themselves,  it 

IS 


214    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

somehow  filled  tliem  with  new  hope  and  longings  for  life. 
They  had  no  tools  with  them,  but  all  fell  to  work  enlarging 
the  hole  with  knives,  the  iron  handles  of  their  lunch-pails,  or 
whatever  else  they  could  lay  hands  upon,  while  Paul  stood 
by  and  held  the  lamp. 

Although  Derrick  had  plenty  of  air  and  space  to  move 
about  in,  his  situation  had  been  fully  as  bad  as  theirs,  for 
he  had  been  alone.  Nothing  is  so  terrible  under  such  cir- 
cumstances as  solitude,  with  the  knowledge  that  you  are 
absolutely  cut  off  from  mankind,  and  may  never  hear  a 
human  voice  again. 

He  had  pricked  his  lamp  down  very  low  so  as  to  save  his 
oil,  and  was  lying  at  full  length  on  the  cold  floor,  a  prey  to 
the  most  gloomy  thoughts.  All  sorts  of  fantastic  forms 
seemed  to  mock  at  him  out  of  the  darkness.  He  could 
almost  hear  their  jeering  laughter,  and  was  rapidly  giving 
way  to  terror  and  despair,  when  a  ray  of  light  flickered  for 
a  moment  on  the  rocky  roof  above  him. 

Springing  to  his  feet  and  rubbing  his  eyes,  he  looked  in 
the  direction  from  which  it  seemed  to  have  come,  and  saw 
it  again,  shining  through  what  he  had  taken  for  a  solid  wall 
of  rock.  Then  he  called  out,  and  Paul  Evert,  the  very  one 
of  whom  he  had  been  in  search,  answered  him. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  hole  was  sufiiciently  large  to  allow 
a  man  to  squeeze  through  it,  and  Derrick  had  thrown  his 
arms  around  Paul,  and  hugged  him  in  his  wild  joy  and 
excitement. 

The  thing  for  which  the  miners  felt  most  grateful,  next 


Imprisoned  in  the  Flooded  Mine.  '  217 

to  their  escape  from  the  little  stifling  chamber  and  their 
meeting  with  Derrick,  was  his  can  of  oil.  Kow  thej  knew 
that  with  care  they  might  keep  a  lamp  burning  for  many 
hours;  and  the  dread  of  total  darkness,  which  is  greater 
than  that  of  hunger,  or  thirst,  or  any  form  of  danger,  no 
longer  oppressed  them. 

Aleck,  the  blacksmith,  had  a  watch,  and  from  it  they 
learned  that  it  was  still  early  in  the  evening;  though  it 
already  seemed  as  if  they  had  been  imprisoned  for  days. 
Some  of  the  men  began  to  complain  bitterly  of  hunger  and 
to  beg  for  food,  but  Monk  Tooley  said  they  should  not  eat 
until  the  watch  showed  them  that  morning  had  arrived. 

To  divert  their  thoughts,  he  proposed  that  they  should 
make  their  way  along  the  breast  to  its  farther  end,  so  as  to 
be  as  near  as  possible  to  the  slope  and  a  chance  of  rescue. 
Acting  upon  this  advice,  they  made  the  attempt.  It  was  a 
most  diflScult  undertaking,  for  the  floor  was  of  smooth  slate, 
sloping  at  a  sharp  angle  towards  the  gangway.  It  was  like 
trying  to  crawl  lengthwise  of  a  steep  roof  to  get  from  one 
row  of  the  timbers  that  supported  the  upper  wall  to  an- 
other. They  were  several  hours  on  the  journey,  but  finally 
reached  the  end  of  the  long  breast  in  safety.  There  they 
must  wait  until  relieved  from  their  awful  situation  by 
death,  or  by  a  rescuing  party  who  would  be  obliged  to  tun- 
nel through  many  yards  of  rock  and  coal  to  reach  them. 

They  managed  to  construct  a  rude  platform  of  timbers, 
on  which  to  rest  more  comfortably  than  on  the  smooth  slop- 
ing rock  floor,  and  here  most  of  them  lay  down  to  sleep. 


2i8    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

Derrick  and  Paul  lay  side  by  side,  with  arms  thrown 
about  each  other's  necks.  The  former  was  nearly  asleep 
when  his  companion  whispered,  "  Dare !" 

"Yes,  Polly." 

"  Here's  something  for  you  ;  and  if  I  don't  live  to  get 
out,  you'll  always  keep  it  to  remember  me  by,  won't  you  ?" 

"  I  shouldn't  need  it  for  that,  Polly ;  but  I'll  always 
keep  it,  whatever  it  is." 

It  was  Paul's  sketch  of  the  underground  picnic-party,  and 
Derrick  knew  what  it  was  when  he  took  it  and  thrust  it 
into  the  bosom  of  his  shirt,  though  days  passed  before  he 
had  a  chance  to  look  at  it. 

Three  days  after  this  the  same  men  and  boys  lay  on  their 
log  platform,  in  almost  the  same  positions,  but  they  were 
haggard,  emaciated,  faint,  and  weak.  Their  last  drop  of  oil 
had  been  burned,  and  they  were,  in  total  darkness.  A  light 
would  have  shown  that  they  lay  like  dead  men. 

Suddenly  one  of  them  lifts  his  head  and  listens.  "  Thank 
God !  thank  God !"  he  exclaims,  in  a  husky  voice,  hardly 
more  than  a  whisper,  "  I  hear  them  !  they're  coming  !" 

Derrick's  quick  ear  had  detected  the  muffled  sound  of 
blows,  and  his  words  gave  new  life  to  the  dying  men  around 
him. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TO    THE    RESCUE  ! A    MESSAGE    FROM    THE    PRISONERS. 

FROM  the  moment  the  news  came  that  nine  men  and 
boys  were  imprisoned  in  the  flooded  mine,  preparations 
for  their  rescue,  or  at  least  of  learning  their  fate,  were 
pushed  with  all  vigor.  Although  it  had  stopped  raining, 
the  night  was  dark,  and  great  bonfires  were  lighted  about 
the  mouth  of  the  slope.  These  were  placed  in  charge  of 
the  old  breaker  boss,  Mr.  Guffy,  and  his  boys,  who  fed 
them  with  dry  timbers,  and  kept  up  the  brilliant  blaze  until 
daylight. 

Around  these  fires  the  entire  idle  population  of  the  village 
stood  and  discussed  the  situation ;  and  by  their  light  the 
workers  were  enabled  to  perform  their  tasks.  The  miners 
were  divided  into  gangs,  headed  by  the  mine  boss  and  by 
Tom  Evert,  and  their  work  was  the  fetching  of  the  steam 
pumps  from  across  the  valley  and  setting  them  up  near  the 
mouth  of  the  slope.  They  had  to  be  connected,  by  long 
lines  of  iron  pipe,  with  the  boilers  under  the  breaker,  and 
from  each  a  double  line  of  hose  was  carried  down  the  slope 
until  water  was  reached. 

It  was  nearly  daylight  when  these  operations  were  com- 


2  20    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

pleted,  and  a  faint  cheer  went  up  from  the  weary  watchers 
as  they  saw  four  powerful  streams  of  water  added  to  the  tor- 
rent that  the  regular  mine  pump  had  kept  flowing  all  night. 

"  Now,  men,"  said  the  mine  boss,  when  he  saw  that  all 
was  working  to  his  satisfaction,  "I  want  you  to  go  home 
and  get  all  the  solid  rest  you  can  in  the  next  two  days,  for 
after  that  I  shall  probably  call  upon  you  to  work  night  and 
day." 

"  We'll  be  ready,  boss,  whenever  you  give  the  word," 
was  the  prompt  answer  from  a  score  of  stalwart  fellows. 
Then  all  turned  towards  their  homes,  knowing  they  could 
do  nothing  more  until  the  pumps  had  prepared  a  way  for 
them. 

During  the  next  day  the  news  of  the  disaster  spread  far 
and  wide,  and  from  all  sides  visitors  poured  into  the  little 
village.  Among  these  were  a  number  of  reporters  from 
the  metropolitan  papers,  some  of  whom,  filled  with  a  sense 
of  their  own  importance,  buzzed  around  like  so  many  bum- 
blebees. They  blundered  into  all  sorts  of  places  where 
they  had  no  business,  bored  everybody  whom  they  could 
approach  with  absurd  questions,  and  made  of  themselves 
public  nuisances  generally. 

While  some  among  them  acted  thus  foolishly,  there  were 
others  who  behaved  like  gentlemen  and  the  sensible  fellows 
they  were.  Of  these  the  most  noticeable  was  a  well-built, 
pleasant  -  faced  young  man,  named  Allan  McClain.  He 
asked  few  questions,  but  each  one  had  evidently  been  well 
considered  and  was  directly  to  the  point.    He  was  quiet  and 


A  Message  from  the  Prisoners,  221 

unobtrusive,  never  displayed  a  note-book  or  pencil,  kept  his 
eyes  and  ears  wide  open,  and,  as  a  result,  sent  to  his  paper 
the  best  accounts  of  the  situation  that  were  published.  How 
he  did  it  was  a  mystery  to  the  others,  few  of  whom  had 
even  thought  of  giving  to  their  business  the  careful  study 
and  attention  that  McClain  bestowed  upon  it. 

The  mine  boss  had  been  particularly  annoyed  by  the  con- 
duct of  several  of  these  members  of  the  press,  and  when 
they  applied  to  him  for  permission  to  accompany  the  first 
gang  of  workmen  down  into  the  mine,  he  firmly  but  cour- 
teously said  "No." 

He  explained  to  them  the  dangers  attending  the  proposed 
undertaking,  and  that  there  would  be  no  room  in  the  mine 
for  any  but  those  actively  engaged  in  the  work  of  rescue. 

Some  of  the  reporters  made  such  an  outcry  at  this,  and 
talked  so  loudly  of  their  rights  and  of  what  they  would  do 
in  case  the  mine  boss  persisted  hi  his  refusal,  that  he  finally 
said  if  they  could  not  behave  better  than  they  had  he 
should  be  compelled  to  order  them  from  the  colliery  alto- 
gether. 

During  this  scene  Allan  McClain  listened  to  all  that  was 
said  without  speaking  a  word.  Shortly  afterwards  the  mine 
boss,  meeting  him  alone,  said,  "  I  am  sorry,  sir,  to  be  obliged 
to  include  you  in  my  apparent  discourtesy,  but  you  know 
that  if  I  made  a  single  exception  I  could  not  enforce  my 
rule." 

"  I  know  it,  Mr.  Jones,"  was  the  pleasant  answer,  "  and  I 
do  not  expect  any  privileges  that  may  not  be  extended  to 


222     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

the  rest.  Your  action  will,  however,  make  no  difference  to 
me,  as  I  expect  to  leave  the  village  to-day." 

Allan  McClain  did  take  the  afternoon  train  away  from 
Raven  Brook,  after  bidding  his  companions  good-by ;  but 
none  of  them  knew  where  he  had  gone  or  the  reasons  for 
his  departure. 

The  pumping  of  the  mine  was  so  successful  that  two  days 
later  the  water  in  it  was  lowered  a  few  feet  below  the  roof 
of  the  great  chamber  at  the  bottom  of  the  slope.  The  mine 
boss  had  watched  it  closely,  going  down  almost  every  hour 
to  note  the  change  of  its  level,  and  he  now  decided  that  the 
time  had  come  to  begin  more  active  operations. 

The  day  before,  a  sturdy  young  man,  much  begrimed  with 
coal-dust,  and  wearing  a  rough  suit  of  mine  clothes  that  had 
evidently  seen  long  service,  had  presented  himself  at  the 
mouth  of  the  slope,  and  asked  leave  to  take  part  in  the  res- 
cue, in  case  there  was  any  way  in  which  he  could  be  made 
useful.  He  said  that  he  came  from  the  neighboring  colliery 
of  Black  Run,  where  the  Raven  Brook  men  had  once  ren- 
dered good  service  during  a  time  of  disaster,  and  that  his 
name  was  Jack  Hobson.  The  mine  boss  had  thanked  him 
for  his  offer  of  assistance,  and  said  he  would  gladly  accept 
it  if  he  found  an  opportunity.  The  young  man  remained 
near  the  scene  of  operations,  making  himself  so  generally 
useful,  and  performing  with  such  promptness  and  intelli- 
gence any  little  task  given  him,  that  the  mine  boss  took  a 
decided  fancy  to  him  before  the  day  was  over. 

Now  that  Mr.  Jones  wanted  three  reliable  men  to  go 


I 


A  Message  from  the  Prisojzers.  225 

down  with  him  and  make  an  exploration,  he  selected  Tom 
Evert,  Jack  Hobson,  and  another  yonng  miner  who  had  a 
brother  among  the  victims  of  the  flood. 

The  departure  of  this  little  party  was  watched  by  a  great 
crowd  of  people,  who  realized  that  if  work  could  not  be 
begun  at  once  there  would  be  little  chance  of  finding  any 
of  the  imprisoned  men  alive.  Among  the  spectators  were 
many  reporters,  any  one  of  whom  would  gladly  have  paid  a 
round  sum  to  be  taken  along,  and  thus  gain  an  opportunity 
of  describing  the  appearance  of  the  drowned  mine. 

At  the  foot  of  the  slope  the  exploring  party  found  a  rude 
but  strong  flat-boat  that  the  mine  boss  had  caused  to  be 
built  and  sent  down  for  this  very  purpose.  Sitting  in  it 
with  bent  bodies,  for  there  was  but  little  space  beneath  the 
roof  of  the  chamber,  they  pushed  off  across  the  black  waters 
and  began  a  voyage  so  weird  and  mysterious  that  at  first 
their  thoughts  found  no  expression  in  words. 

All  about  them  floated  traces  of  the  disaster;  here  the 
body  of  a  drowned  mule,  and  there  a  bale  of  hay,  or  a  quan- 
tity of  timbers  that,  wrenched  and  broken,  told  of  the  awful 
force  of  the  waters.  These  and  many  like  tokens  of  de- 
struction came  slowly  within  the  narrow  circle  of  light  from 
their  lamps,  and  vanished  again  behind  them. 

After  a  careful  search  along  the  opposite  side  of  the 
chamber,  they  located  gangway  No.  1,  in  which  the  water 
was  still  within  two  inches  of  the  roof. 

"  It'll  be  some  time  afore  we  can  get  in  there,  sir,"  said 
Tom  Evert. 


2  26    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

"  Yes,  Tom,  three  days  at  least,  perhaps  more." 

"  T'  big  breast  lies  in  here  on  this  side  t'  gangway." 

"  I  know  it,  Tom  ;  and  if  you'll  pick  out  the  spot  that 
promises  easiest  working,  we'll  open  a  heading  into  it.  We 
may  find  them  there.  If  we  don't  we  can  work  our  way 
through  it,  above  the  water  level,  to  the  wall  that  divides  it 
from  the  next  one.  Some  of  them  are  almost  sure  to  be 
there  if  they're  still  alive." 

"  That's  what  I  think,  sir ;  and  if  you  say  so,  we'll  start  in 
right  here.     Can  you  tell  just  how  far  in  t'  breast  lies  ?" 

"  Just  twenty-five  yards,  Tom." 

"  If  that's  all,  we'll  soon  knock  a  hole  through  that,  and 
then,  please  God,  I'll  find  my  crippled  lad,  an'  t'  brave 
one  that  went  back  after  him.  If  we  find  'em  dead, 
old  Tom  Evert  don't  never  want  to  come  out  alive.  He 
couldn't." 

"  Never  fear,  Tom,  we'll  find  them  alive,"  said  the  mine 
boss,  cheerily.  "  I  have  full  faith  that  we  shall.  If  they're 
only  in  the  big  breast  we'll  have  them  out  in  three  days 
more.  Now,  men,  drive  those  staples  into  the  wall,  make  the 
boat  fast  to  them,  and  pitch  in.  As  soon  as  you've  cut  a 
shelf  to  work  on,  I'll  go  back  for  fresh  hands.  This  job's 
going  to  be  done  with  half-hour  reliefs." 

Jack  Hobson  held  the  staples  in  position  while  Tom  Evert, 
lying  on  his  side,  drove  them  into  the  wall  of  solid  coal  with 
a  dozen  blows  from  his  heavy  hammer. 

These  were  the  blows  heard  faintly  by  Derrick  Sterling 
on  the  farther  side  of  that  massive  wall ;  and  the  welcome 


A  Message  from  the  Prisoners.  227 

sound  carried  with  it  new  life  and  hope  to  him  and  his 
fainting  comrades. 

Dropping  the  hammer,  and  seizing  his  pick,  the  burlj 
miner  struck  a  mighty  blow  at  the  wall,  and  followed  it  up 
with  others  so  fast  and  furious  that  the  coal  fell  rattling  into 
the  boat,  or  splashing  into  the  water  in  glistening  showers. 
The  work  of  rescue  was  begun. 

As  he  sat  there.  Jack  Hobson's  eye  lighted  on  a  long, 
dark  object  floating  near  them,  and  calling  attention  to  it, 
he  said, 

"  Don't  you  think,  sir,  that  water  trough  might  be  bailed 
out  and  used  as  a  sort  of  boat  to  establish  communication 
between  this  point  and  the  foot  of  the  slope  ?  I  have  been 
used  to  canoes,  and  believe  I  could  manage  it." 

The  mine  boss  said  it  was  a  good  idea,  and  he  could  try  if 
he  wanted  to. 

So  the  trough,  which  was  simply  a  long,  flat-bottomed  box, 
was  brought  alongside,  bailed  out,  and  placed  in  charge  of 
the  young  man  from  Black  Eun.  He  made  a  rude  paddle, 
and  during  the  next  two  days  did  capital  service  in  ferrying 
miners  and  tools  back  and  forth  between  the  opposite  sides 
of  the  chamber.  By  this  addition  to  the  underground  fleet 
the  large  boat  could  be  left  at  the  entrance  to  the  heading, 
where  it  proved  most  useful  as  a  landing-st^ge. 

The  work  was  pushed  with  all  possible  speed,  a  dozen  of 
the  strongest  and  most  skilful  miners,  who  handled  their 
picks  with  desperate  energy,  taking  half-hourly  turns  each 
at  driving  the  heading.     Behind  the  miner  who  was  thus 


228    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

at  work,  other  men  passed  out  the  loosened  material  from 
hand  to  hand,  and  thus  kept  the  opening  clear.  Whenever 
there  was  no  demand  for  his  services  as  ferry-man,  Jack 
Hobson  took  his  place  among  these  workers,  and  by  his 
cheering  words  and  tireless  energy  kept  up  their  spirits  and 
spurred  them  on  to  greater  efforts. 

When  they  had  got  about  half-way  through,  it  was  thought 
best  to  close  the  outer  end  of  the  heading  with  an  air-tight 
door,  and  place  another  ten  feet  behind  it,  thus  forming  an 
air-lock.  Fresh  air  was  forced  into  and  compressed  in  the 
heading  by  means  of  an  air-pump  operated  from  the  flat- 
boat  at  the  outer  end.  These  precautions  were  taken  for 
fear  lest  when  they  broke  through  into  the  breast  the  air 
in  it,  compressed  by  the  flood,  should  rush  out  w^ith  destruc- 
tive force.  It  was  also  feared  that,  relieved  from  its  air 
pressure,  the  water  in  the  breast  would  rise  and  cut  off  the 
escape  of  any  persons  who  might  be  in  there. 

The  position  of  those  engaged  in  the  work  of  rescue  w^as 
by  no  means  free  from  peril.  The  pumps,  running  at  fullest 
speed,  were  barely  able  to  keep  the  water  from  rising  and 
flooding  the  new  heading,  so  great  and  continuous  was  the 
flow  into  the  mine  from  the  soaked  earth  above  it.  They 
did  not  know  but  th^t  any  moment  some  fresh  and  unsus- 
pected accumulation  in  the  old  workings  might  break  forth 
and  send  a  second  flood  pouring  in  upon  them.  Above  all 
there  was  an  ever-present  danger  from  foul  gases,  which 
formed  so  rapidly  that  at  times  work  had  to  be  entirely  sus- 
pended until  they  could  be  cleared  away.     Thus  every  time 


A  Message  from  the  Prisoners,  229 

the  relief  men  went  down  to  their  self-imposed  labor  their 
departure  was  watched  by  anxious  women  with  tearful  eyes 
and  heavy  hearts. 

For  a  day  and  a  night  these  stout-hearted  men  worked 
without  knowing  whether  they  sought  the  living  or  the 
dead.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  during  a  mo- 
mentary pause  in  the  steady  rattle  of  the  picks,  Jack  Hob- 
son,  who  was  at  the  inner  end  of  the  heading,  thought  he 
heard  a  knocking.  Calling  for  perfect  silence,  he  listened. 
Yes,  it  was !     Faint,  but  unmistakable,  it  came  again. 

"  Tap,  tap,  tap ;  tap,  tap,  tap  ;  tap,  tap,  tap,"  and  a  pause. 
Then  it  was  repeated,  and  its  meaning  could  not  be  doubted. 
As  plain  as  human  speech,  it  said, 

"  Here  we  are,  still  alive,  but  in  great  distress.  We  know 
you  are  coming,  but  you  must  hurry." 

From  mouth  to  mouth  the  joyful  news  was  carried  out 
from  the  heading,  across  the  sullen  waters,  up  the  slope  to 
the  anxious  waiting  throngs,  and  on  throbbing  wires  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

Mrs.  Sterling  heard  it  and  lifted  her  tear-stained  face  in 
earnest  thankfulness  to  Heaven.  The  Halfords  heard  it  in 
Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Halford  said  he  could  stand  it  no 
longer,  but  must  go  to  Raven  Brook  and  be  on  hand  when 
the  men  were  rescued.  Before  another  sun  rose  that  faint 
tapping  made  in  the  recesses  of  the  drowned  mine  by  Der- 
rick Sterling  with  a  bit  of  rock  had  been  heard  around  the 
world. 

Kow  the  brave  fellows  in  the  heading  knew  what  they 

z6 


230    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

were  working  for,  and  the  blows  of  their  picks  fell  faster 
and  harder  than  ever  on  the  glistening  wall  that  still  opposed 
its  black  front  to  them. 

The  excitement  at  the  mouth  of  the  mine  was  now  intense, 
and  every  man  who  came  up  from  it  was  besieged  by  anxious 
inquiries  for  the  very  latest  news.  What  was  the  meaning 
of  the  three  taps  three  times  repeated  ?  Did  it  signify  that 
there  were  nine  persons  in  the  breast,  or  only  three  ?  If  only 
three,  where  were  the  others  ?  Who  were  the  three  ?  How 
many  were  alive  ?  Were  any  dead  ?  These  and  a  thousand 
like  questions  were  asked  and  discussed,  but  nobody  could 
answer  them  certainly. 

The  reports  brought  up  were  only  regarding  the  progress 
of  the  work.  So  many  feet  in  an  hour,  so  many  yards  a 
day.  Now  there  are  only  six  feet  more  to  cut  through ; 
now  five,  four,  three,  and  now  but  eighteen  inches.  The 
suspense  is  terrible.  To  the  mothers  and  wives  waiting  for 
the  end  up  in  the  little  village  it  is  almost  too  great  to  be 
borne.  To  the  haggard  men  behind  those  eighteen  inches 
of  black  rock  it  seems  as  though  the  breath  of  fresh  air  for 
want  of  which  they  are  dying  would  come  too  late. 

They  press  eagerly  against  the  wall,  and  in  their  feeble- 
ness pick  vainly  at  it  with  their  fingers.  It  will  not  yield. 
Even  Monk  Tooley,  who  was  so  fierce  and  strong  five  days 
before,  can  make  no  impression  on  it. 

Now  but  one  foot  of  wall  remains,  and  Tom  Evert  pauses 
in  his  task  to  dash  the  sweat- drops  from  his  eyes,  and  to  call, 
as  he  has  already  a  dozen  times, 


A  Message  from  the  Prisoners.  231 

"  Holloa !     Holloa  in  there !" 

Like  an  echo  comes  the  answer,  faint  but  distinct, 

"Holloa!     Hurry!" 

He  only  stops  to  call  louder  than  before,  but  with  a  trem- 
ble in  his  voice, 

"  Is — Paul — Evert — alive  ?"  and  with  ear  held  against  the 
wet  wall  he  breathlessly  awaits  the  answer. 

"  Yes." 

The  word  is  enough,  and  with  the  fury  and  strength  of  a 
giant  he  again  attacks  the  wall.  He  pays  no  attention  to 
the  relief  who  is  ready  to  take  his  place.  He  knows  noth- 
ing, cares  for  nothing,  save  that  his  boy  is  waiting  for  him 
beyond  those  few  inches  of  crumbling  coal. 

At  last  his  pick  strikes  through.  A  few  more  desperate 
strokes  and  the  barrier  is  broken  away.  He  springs  into 
the  breast.  Another  instant  and  his  crippled  lad,  whom  he 
had  thought  never  to  see  again,  is  strained  to  his  heart,  and 
the  burly  miner  is  sobbing  like  a  child. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

RESTORED   TO    DAYLIGHT. 

IN  the  overwhelming  joy  of  the  moment,  Tom  Evert  had 
no  thought  save  for  the  son  whom  he  had  snatched  from 
the  very  gates  of  death.  He  was  absolutely  unconscious  of 
the  presence  of  another  human  being  in  the  breast,  nor  did 
the  broken  words  of  blessing  and  gratitude  uttered  by  the 
faint-voiced  miners  find  their  way  to  his  ear.  His  instinct 
was  to  get  his  lad  out  from  that  stifling,  foul-aired  place, 
and,  still  holding  him  in  his  arms,  he  crawled  back  through 
the  heading,  was  borne  swiftly  across  the  waters  from  which 
he  had  snatched  their  prey,  and  drawn  up  the  slope. 

As  he  stepped  from  the  car  at  its  mouth,  and  they  saw 
what  it  was  he  bore  so  tenderly  and  proudly,  a  mighty  cheer 
went  up  from  the  assembled  throng.  Another  and  another. 
They  were  wild  with  joy.  The  long  suspense  was  over,  the 
terrible  strain  was  relaxed,  and  they  gave  way  to  their 
feelings. 

Suddenly  they  noticed  that  the  drooping  head  of  the  lad 
was  not  lifted  from  the  broad  shoulder  on  which  it  rested. 
His  arms  hung  limp  and  lifeless.  A  great  silence  came  over 
the  multitude.     They  stood  awe-stricken^  as  in  the  presence 


Restored  to  Daylight,  233 

of  death,  and    pressing  aside  in  front   of  the  advancing 
miner,  they  made  way  for  him  to  pass. 

Still  bearing  his  burden,  unconscious  of  all  besides,  and 
looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left,  Tom  Evert  passed 
through  the  human  lane  thus  formed,  and  went  home — 
home  to  the  rude,  unpainted  house  in  which  Paul  was  born, 
and  which,  during  the  darkness  and  despair  of  the  past  five 
days,  had  been  a  constant  picture  before  his  mind's  eye — 
home  to  the  mother  whose  tenderest  love  has  ever  been  for 
her  crippled  boy.     Home ! 

Although  Tom  Evert,  with  eyes  and  ears  only  for  his  own, 
had  no  thought  of  the  others  for  whom  he  had  broken  open 
the  prison  door,  there  was  no  lack  of  warm  hearts  and  will- 
ing hands  to  help  them. 

Following  close  after  the  miner  Warren  Jones  entered  the 
breast,  and  directly  behind  him  was  Jack  Hobson.  The 
light  from  their  lamps  dazzled  the  eyes  that  for  three  days 
had  lived  in  a  darkness  as  absolute  as  though  no  light  ex- 
isted in  the  universe.  Turning  them  away  from  the  light, 
the  prisoners  listened  eagerly  for  the  voices  of  their  deliv- 
erers. The  first  words  they  heard  were  from  the  mine  boss, 
the  man  on  whom  they  had  depended,  and  who  they  knew 
had  planned  and  carried  out  their  rescue. 
■^     "  Are  you  all  here,  men  ?" 

"  There's  nine  of  us." 

"And  all  alive?" 

"  All  alive  yet,  thank  God ;  though  Boodle,  poor  lad,  is 
wellnigh  gone." 


234    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"  Where  is  Derrick  Sterling  ?" 

"  Here  I  am,  sir,"  came  a  weak  but  well-known  voice  from 
back  in  the  darkness. 

Before  Mr.  Jones  could  locate  it,  the  j^oung  man  who 
had  followed  him  so  closely  into  the  breast  sprang  to  the 
side  of  the  lad,  and  seizing  his  hand,  exclaimed, 

"  Derrick  Sterling,  you  are  a  splendid  fellow,  and  this  is 
one  of  the  very  happiest  moments  of  my  life !" 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  asked  Derrick,  faintly. 

"  My  name  is  Allan  McClain,"  was  the  answer,  "  and  if 
you  will  give  me  your  friendship  I  shall  consider  it  an  honor 
to  be  proud  of." 

Trying  weakly  to  return  the  hand-pressure  of  the  young 
stranger.  Derrick  answered, 

"He  who  has  come  to  our  rescue  at  the  risk  of  bis  own 
life  must  indeed  be  my  friend !" 

Then  the  mine  boss  found  them,  and  saying,  "Drink 
this,  my  poor,  brave  lad,"  gave  him  a  cup  of  rich  warm 
soup,  that  had  been  made  nearly  an  hour  before,  and  kept 
warm  over  a  spirit-lamp  in  the  boat,  just  outside  the 
heading. 

It  filled  the  boy  with  new  life,  and  when  he  and  the 
others  had  drank  of  it  all  that  was  allowed  them,  they  felt 
strong  enough  to  crawl  out  through  the  heading. 

Derrick  was  the  first  to  go,  and  the  first  to  be  drawn  up 
the  slope,  supported  in  the  car  by  the  young  man  to  whom 
he  had  just  given  his  friendship.  As  they  approached  the 
blessed  sunlight,  and  the  weary  lad  caught  its  first  gleam, 


Restored  to  Daylight,  235 

still  far  above  him,  he  pressed  the  hand  of  his  companion, 
:ind  could  do  nothing  but  gaze  at  it.  Could  it  be  the  very 
light  of  day  that  he  had  longed  for  and  prayed  for  and 
despaired  of  ever  seeing  again?  He  knew  it  must  be,  but 
it  seemed  almost  too  glorious  to  be  real. 

When  they  reached  the  surface,  the  light  that  had  roused 
sucli  a  tumult  of  feeling  within  him  revealed  two  great 
tears  coursing  slowly  down  through  the  grime  of  his  hollow 
cheeks. 

The  excitement  over  Paul  Evert's  appearance  was  as 
nothing  compared  with  that  aroused  by  the  sight  of  Derrick 
Sterling.  Had  not  his  name  been  a  household  word  through- 
out the  land  for  days?  Was  he  not  a  brave  fellow  whom 
they  all  loved  ?  Could  they  cheer  loud  enough  or  long 
enough  to  do  him  honor,  and  testify  their  joy  at  his  deliver- 
ance ?  It  did  not  seem  as  though  they  could ;  and  poor 
Derrick  stood  before  them,  trembling  with  strong  emotion, 
without  knowing  which  way  to  turn  or  look. 

The  reporters,  who  were  taking  mental  notes  of  his  ap- 
pearance, also  gazed  curiously  at  the  young  man  who  had 
come  up  from  the  mine  with  him,  and  on  whom  he  now 
leaned.  He  was  a  miner,  of  course,  for  he  was  dressed  in 
mine  clothes,  and  was  as  begrimed  as  the  sootiest  delver 
of  them  all ;  but  who  was  he  ?  He  had  somewhere  lost  his 
miner's  cap,  and  the  yellow,  close-cropped  curls  of  his  un- 
covered head  had  a  strangely  familiar  look. 

He  noticed  their  stares,  knew  what  was  passing  in  their 
minds,  and  laughingly  said : 


236    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mi7ies. 

"  Yes,  fellows ;  I'm  l^IcClain  of  the  Explorer^  and  I  guess 
IVe  got  a  beat  on  you  all  this  time."  Then  to  Derrick  he 
said,  "  Come,  Sterling,  we  must  get  out  of  this ;  there's  a 
mother  waiting  for  you  over  there." 

Just  then  another  car-load  of  rescued  men  was  drawn  up, 
and  again  the  excited  spectators  broke  forth  in  a  tumult  of 
cheers.  Under  cover  of  this  diversion.  Derrick,  half  sup- 
ported by  Allan  McClain,  walked  slowly  away  towards  the 
little  vine-covered  cottage  at  the  end  of  the  village  street. 
Here  his  mother  awaited  him,  for  she  felt  that  their  meet- 
ing was  something  too  sacred  to  be  witnessed  by  stranger 
eyes. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  slope  similar  meetings  were  taking 
place  between  others  who  had  less  self-control  or  less  deli- 
cacy, but  who,  in  their  way,  showed  equal  affection  and 
deep  feeling.  Wives  greeted  husbands  who  appeared  to 
them  as  risen  from  the  dead,  and  mothers  wept  over  sons 
whom  they  had  deemed  lost  to  them  forever. 

As  Monk  Tooley  stepped  from  the  car,  the  first  to  hold 
out  a  hand  to  him  was  his  son  Bill,  leaning  on  a  crutch,  and 
still  bearing  traces  of  his  illness.     His  greeting  was, 

"  Well,  feyther,  we've  missed  yer  sad  !  Thought  maybe 
yer  wouldn't  get  back  no  more." 

"  I'm  not  dat  easy  got  rid  of,  lad.  Had  a  plenty  ter  eat, 
hain't  yer?" 

"  Plenty,  feyther,  sich  as  it  was." 

"Dat's  more'n  I  have,  an'  I  hope  yer've  saved  a  bite  fer 
yer  dad.     Starvin's  hungry  work." 


Restored  to  Daylight,  239 

Nothing  else  was  overheard ;  but  the  tones  of  the  rough 
man  and  his  equally  rough  son  held  an  unwonted  accent  of 
tenderness.  As  they  grasped  each  other's  hand,  one  gazed 
curiously  at  his  father's  haggard  face,  and  the  other  cast  a 
pitying  glance  at  his  son's  rude  crutch. 

Not  the  least  interested  spectator  of  these  touching  scenes 
was  Mr.  Halford,  who  had  arrived  that  morning  from  Phil- 
adelphia. When,  after  all  the  rest  had  been  sent  safely  to 
the  surface,  the  mine  boss  was  drawn  up  the  slope,  and  was 
in  turn  greeted  with  a  rousing  cheer,  that  gentleman  slipped 
an  arm  through  his,  and  led  him  away,  saying, 

"  You  have  done  nobly,  Warren,  and  I  am  proud  to  call 
you  brother." 

"  I  could  have  done  nothing,  Harold,  if  these  brave  fellows 
had  not  stood  by  me  as  they  have." 

"  And  they  could  have  done  nothing  without  your  level 
head  to  direct  them  and  your  splendid  example  to  stimulate 
them." 

So  the  great  colliery  disaster  was  happily  ended,  and 
in  Raven  Brook  village  great  sorrow  was  turned  to  great 

joy. 

As  the  two  gentlemen  sat  talking  together  in  the  room 
that  the  mine  boss  called  his  den,  that  evening,  Mr.  Halford 
said, 

"  By-the-way,  Warren,  I  did  not  take  this  trip  wholly  out 
of  curiosity  to  witness  your  rescue  of  the  miners.  I  want 
to  learn  something  of  this  young  Sterling.  Did  yon  know 
his  father?" 


240    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

"  Yes,  he  was  one  of  my  warmest  friends." 
"  Was  his  name  Gilbert  ?" 
"Yes." 

"  Do  you  know  whether  he  ever  lived  in  Crawford  Coun- 
ty?" 

"  That  is  where  he  came  from ;  he  was  born  and  raised 

there." 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  him  speak  of  owning  any  property 
there?" 

"  I  have  heard  him  mention  a  little  old  rocky  farm  that 
was  left  to  him ;  but  he  always  spoke  of  it  as  being  too  poor 
to  have  any  value.  In  fact  he  once  told  me  that  it  was  not 
worth  the  taxes  he  paid  on  it." 

"  I  declare,  I  believe  it  is  the  very  place !  If  these  Ster- 
lings turn  out  to  be  the  people  you  lead  me  to  think  they 
are,  Warren,  there's  a  small  fortune  awaiting  them." 

"  What !  a  fortune  awaiting  the  widow  Sterling  and  Der- 
rick? It  can't  be!  Why,  they  haven't  a  relative  in  the 
world." 

"That  may  all  be,  but  what  I  tell  you  is  true.  If  this 
Gilbert  Sterling  was  a  son  of  Deacon  Giles  Sterling  of  New- 
fields,  in  Crawford  County,  his  heirs  are  the  owners  of  one  of 
the  most  valuable  bits  of  property  in  the  State.  Why,  man, 
this  little  old  rocky  farm  you  speak  of,  if  it  is  the  same — and 
I  am  inclined  to  think  it  must  be — lies  in  the  very  centre  of 
the  richest  oil  district  that  has  yet  been  discovered.  The 
best-paying  well  owned  by  our  company  is  located  on  its 
border.     For  a  clear  title  to  that  farm  I  am  authorized  to 


Restored  to  Daylight.  241 

offer  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  cash,  and  a  one-fifth  inter- 
est in  whatever  oil  may  be  taken  from  it." 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Jones  called  at  the  Sterlings',  and 
was  amazed  to  find  Derrick  already  showing  signs  of  recov- 
ery. A  splendid  constitution  and  a  determined  will,  aided 
by  twelve  hours  of  sleep  and  an  abundance  of  nourishing 
food,  were  already  beginning  to  efface  the  traces  of  hunger 
and  suffering. 

The  boy  gave  his  visitor  a  cheerful  greeting,  and  tried  to 
express  something  of  his  gratitude  in  words,  but  they  failed 
him  utterly. 

The  other  said,  "  Don't  try.  Derrick.  It's  over  now,  and 
we  all  have  cause  for  the  most  profound  gratitude  ;  but  each 
of  us  understands  the  other's  feelings,  and  there  is  no  need 
of  words  between  us." 

Mrs.  Sterling's  eyes  were  filled  with  happy  tears  as,  sit- 
ting beside  her  son,  she  tried  to  tell  something  of  the  pride 
she  felt  in  him.     After  a  while  she  said, 

"  I  know  it's  wrong,  but  I  can't  help  trying  to  look  ahead 
a  little,  and,  I  confess,  with  some  anxiety.  1  want  my  boy 
to  do  what  is  right,  and  I  do  not  want  him  to  remain  idle ; 
but  oh !  Mr.  Jones,  I  cannot  let  him  go  down  into  that  aw- 
ful mine  again.  It  has  nearly  killed  him ;  and  I  am  sure  I 
could  not  survive  another  such  experience." 

"  I  don't  blame  you  for  feeling  as  you  do,"  said  the  young 
man,  "  and  I  think  perhaps  some  other  arrangement  can  be 
made.  One  reason  for  my  calling  this  morning  was  to  ask 
if  I  might  bring  a  gentleman  to  see  you  who  is  greatly  in- 


242    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Miiies. 

terested  in  Derrick,  and  desirous  of  making  his  acquaintance. 
Are  you  willing  that  I  should,  and  do  you  think  Derrick 
is  strong  enough  to  receive  visitors  ?" 

"  Certainly  I  am,"  said  Mrs.  Sterling ;  and  Derrick  an- 
swered for  himself  that  he  felt  strong  enough  to  see  any 
number  of  gentlemen  who  were  interested  in  him. 

So  Mr.  Jones  left  them,  and  shortly  afterwards  returned 
with  Mr.  Halford,  who  soon  won  his  way  to  the  mother's 
heart  by  saying  pleasant  things  about  her  boy,  and  to  Der- 
rick's by  thanking  him  for  his  kindness  to  Mrs.  Halford  and 
Miss  Nellie.  He  said  that  he  had  been  especially  commis- 
sioned by  his  daughter  to  inquire  concerning  the  welfare  of 
her  bumping-mule,  and  was  glad  to  hear  from  Derrick  that 
that  knowing  animal  was  rapidly  recovering  from  his  inju- 
ries. 

The  conversation  was  led  on  from  one  thing  to  another^ 
until  Mr.  Halford  was  satisfied  that  he  had  really  found 
the  family  of  whom  he  was  in  search.  Then  he  told 
them  of  the  good -fortune  in  store  for  them,  provided 
they  could  prove  their  ownership  of  the  little  Bradford 
County  farm. 

Trembling  with  excitement,  Mrs.  Sterling  brought  out  a 
box  full  of  her  husband's  papers,  among  which  was  found 
a  deed  for  the  farm,  and  receipts  for  taxes  paid  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Having  satisfied  himself  of  the  correctness  of  these,  Mr. 
Halford  made  them  the  offer  of  which  he  had  spoken  to 
Mr.  Jones  the  evening  before.     Then  he  left  them,  saying 


Restored  to  Daylight,  243 

he  knew  they  would  want  some  time  to  consider  his  propo- 
sition, and  that  he  would  call  the  next  day  to  learn  their 
decision. 

After  their  visitors  had  gone,  Derrick  and  his  mother 
gazed  wonderingly  at  each  other.  Could  it  all  be  true  ? 
Were  their  days  of  poverty  really  over?  Was  the  over- 
worked mother  to  have  a  release  from  the  toil  and  the  bitter 
anxieties  that  made  her  look  so  thin  and  careworn?  Were 
Derrick's  dreams  of  a  college  education  and  a  profession 
about  to  be  realized  ? 

Long  and  earnestly  they  talked,  but  not  as  to  what  an- 
swer they  should  give  Mr.  Halford.  They  had  decided 
that  almost  before  he  left.  They  talked  with  grateful  and 
loving  hearts  of  the  Heavenly  Father  who  had  so  ordered 
their  ways  as  to  turn  their  very  darkness  into  briglitest 
light.  As  she  thought  over  her  mercies,  the  wonderful 
promises  that  had  sustained  the  widowed  mother  through 
so  many  an  hour  of  trial  came  back  to  her  with  their  fullest 
force. 

That  afternoon  Derrick  felt  strong  enough  to  walk  out, 
and  went  to  the  Everts'  to  see  his  dear  friend  and  recent 
companion  in  suffering.  He  found  Paul  able  to  see  and 
talk  to  him,  but  in  bed,  and  very  weak  and  languid. 

"  If  I  could  only  get  away,  far  away  from  it  all,  Dare," 
he  said.  "  The  horror  of  the  mine  hangs  over  me  all  the 
time,  and  I'd  almost  rather  never  get  well  than  go  down  into 
it  again." 

Then  Derrick  bent  down  and  whispered  something  that 


544    Derrick  Sterlmg:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

brought  a  new  light  into  the  crippled  lad's  eyes  and  a  faint 
flush  to  his  pale  cheeks. 

"  Oh,  Dare  !''  he  exclaimed.  "  Is  it  true  ?  Keally !  Do 
you  mean  it  V 

Derrick  answered  that  it  was  true,  and  he  meant  every 
word  of  it. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

GOOD-BY  TO   THE  COLLIERY. 

WHAT  Derrick  whispered  to  Paul  Evert  as  he  bent  over 
him  was :  "  You  needn't  ever  go  down  in  the  mine 
again,  Polly.  I  want  you  to  go  to  Philadelphia  with  me  to 
learn  to  be  an  artist.  The  money's  ready,  and  it's  all  fixed 
that  I'm  to  go ;  and  if  you  only  say  the  word  it  will  be  fixed 
for  you  to  go  too.  I'm  only  waiting  for  you  to  get  strong  to 
tell  you  the  whole  story.  Don't  say  a  word  about  it  yet, 
though,  for  it's  a  secret." 

A  hope  like  this  was  a  wonderful  medicine  to  the  delicate 
lad,  and  when,  an  hour  later,  his  father  came  in,  he  was  aston- 
ished at  the  change  for  the  better  that  had  come  over  him. 

"  Why,  Paul  lad,  an  hour  since  I  was  thinking  I'd  saved 
thee  for  naught  but  to  die,  after  all,"  said  the  miner.  "  Now 
I  find  thee  bright  and  smiling,  and  chipper  as  a  tomtit 
Whatever's  happened  ?" 

"  Derrick's  been  to  see  me,  father." 

"  Ay ;  I  might  ha'  know'd  it.  No  other  could  cheer  tnee 
like  him.  He's  a  noble  lad,  and  a  true  friend  o'  thine,  Paul. 
I  doubt  if  another  would  ha'  gone  back  i'  t'  face  o'  t'  skirling 
waters  on  chance  o'  saving  thee." 


246    Derrick  Sterling :  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

"  I'm  sure  not,  father." 

While  Paul  was  thus  talking  of  Derrick,  Derrick  was  talk- 
ing of  Paul. 

He  had  gone  home  full  of  a  newly  formed  plan.  In  fact 
plans  had  formed  themselves  so  rapidly  in  his  mind  since 
Mr.  Halford's  visit  that  they  were  already  trying  to  crowd 
each  other  from  his  memory.  The  one  now  uppermost  was 
in  regard  to  Paul. 

Going  to  his  own  room,  he  took  out  from  a  small  drawer, 
where  he  kept  his  choicest  treasures,  the  sketch  of  the  under- 
ground picnic  party  that  Paul  had  drawn  down  in  the  mine, 
and  given  him  while  they  were  imprisoned  together  in  the 
darkness.  It  was  soiled  and  a  little  torn,  but  every  spot  of 
grime  upon  it  was  a  memento  of  that  terrible  experience ; 
and  though  the  picture  was  of  recent  origin,  associations 
were  already  clustered  so  thickly  about  it  that  to  Derrick 
it  was  a  priceless  treasure. 

Showing  it  to  his  mother,  he  asked  what  she  thought 
of  it. 

"  I  think  it  is  capital !"  she  exclaimed. 

Then  Derrick  told  her  the  story  of  the  sketch,  of  Paul's 
longing  to  be  an  artist,  and  his  dread  of  going  into  the  mine 
again.  He  ended  by  saying,  "  Now,  mother,  when  I  go  to 
Philadelphia  to  prepare  for  college,  can't  Polly  go  with  me 
and  study  to  be  an  artist  ?  He  won't  be  very  expensive,  and 
I'm  sure  we're  going  to  have  money  enough  for  all." 

"Of  course  he  can,  Derrick.  I  would  much  rather  you 
had  a  companion  than  to  go  alone,  and  I  know  you  two  will 


Good-by  to  the  Colliery,  247 

enjoy  much  together,  and  be  of  great  help  to  each  other.  As 
for  the  money,  dear,  I  would  rather  remain  poor  all  my  life 
than  not  have  you  willing  to  share  whatever  you  have  with 
those  who  need  it.  The  longer  you  live,  Derrick,  the  more 
fully  you  will  realize  that  the  greatest  pleasure  to  be  gained 
from  money  is  by  spending  it  for  the  happiness  of  others." 

So  it  was  settled  that  Derrick  and  Paul  should  go  to  Phil> 
adelphia  together,  and  Paul  made  such  haste  to  get  strong, 
so  as.  to  hear  the  whole  story,  that  it  had  to  be  told  to  him 
that  very  evening. 

By  the  next  morning,  when  Mr.  Halford  called  upon  the 
Sterlings  to  receive  their  answer  to  his  offer,  they  had  already 
in  imagination  spent  so  much  of  the  money  they  expected 
to  receive  from  him  that  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  them  to  say  anything  but  "  Yes,"  even  if  they  had  want- 
ed to. 

Mr.  Halford  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  plans  made  for 
Derrick  and  Paul,  and  promised  to  look  out  for  them  in 
Philadelphia,  secure  a  pleasant  boarding-place  for  them,  and 
see  that  they  got  into  the  best  schools  in  the  city.  He  said 
they  ought  to  start  as  soon  as  possible,  for  the  autumn  terms 
were  about  to  begin.  Before  he  left  he  handed  Mrs.  Ster- 
ling a  check  for  a  larger  amount  of  money  than  she  had  ever 
in  her  life  possessed.  He  said  she  might  find  it  convenient 
for  immediate  use  while  the  necessary  steps  for  the  transfer 
of  the  little  Crawford  County  farm  to  the  great  oil  com- 
pany were  being  taken. 

In  two  weeks  after  Mr.  Halford's  departure  everything 


248    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

was  in  readiness  for  that  of  the  boys,  and  the  time  had  ar- 
rived for  them  to  start  for  the  great  city. 

Harry  Mule,  whose  leg  had  been  so  well  mended  that  it 
could  be  taken  out  of  splints,  was  to  be  left  in  charge  of  Bill 
Tooley.  Bill  was  to  be  allowed  to  hire  him  out  to  the  mine 
boss  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  work,  and  that  gentleman  had 
promised  them  both  a  job  at  hauling  waste  cars  over  the 
dump.  Thus  neither  of  them  would  be  obliged  to  go  down 
into  the  mine  again. 

Bill  Tooley  was  now  able  to  walk  without  his  crutch ;  but 
his  leg  would  always  be  stiff,  and  he  would  never  be  free 
from  a  limp  in  his  gait.  As  Harry  Mule  had  the  same  pe- 
culiarity in  his,  they  became  known  in  the  colliery  as  the 
two  "  Stiffies."  Under  this  title  they  acquired  considerable 
fame  for  their  fondness  for  each  other,  and  for  the  wisdom 
of  one  of  them. 

The  first  of  October  was  a  glorious  autumn  day,  and  even 
the  ragged  colliery  village  looked  pretty,  after  a  fashion,  in 
the  golden  haze  through  which  the  rising  sun  shone  down 
upon  it. 

As  Derrick  and  Paul,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Sterling, 
Helen,  the  mine  boss,  and  burly  Tom  Evert,  walked  down 
to  the  little  railway-station,  the  miners  of  the  day  shift  were 
gathering  about  the  mouth  of  the  slope,  and  preparing  to 
descend  into  the  recently  putnped-out  workings.  From 
them  came  many  a  rough  but  honest  farewell  shout  to  the 
boys  who  had  endeared  themselves  to  all  the  village. 

"  Tak'  care  o'  thysels,  lads !"     "  We'll  not  forget  ye,  an' 


Good'by  to  the  Colliery,  251 

yell  bear  us  in  mind !"  "  Whene'er  thee's  tired  o'  city, 
coom  back,  an'  ye'll  find  a  welcome !"  "  Mind  t'  fire-damp 
i'  t'  city,  lads,  an'  use  naught  but  safeties  !"     "  Good-by !" 

As  long  as  they  were  within  hearing  the  boys  shouted 
back  such  answers  as,  "We'll  try  to!"  "Thank  you,  Ike! 
We  won't  forget  you ;  never  fear !"     "  Good-by  all !" 

Then  the  train  came  along.  A  few  loving  words  were 
hastily  spoken,  and  they  were  off.  The  hard,  grimy,  peril- 
ous life  of  the  breaker  and  the  mine  was  left  behind,  and  a 
new  one  of  study,  ambitious  dreams,  and  successes  was  open- 
ing broadly  before  them. 

At  first  the  boys  were  inclined  to  feel  very  homesick,  and 
their  conversation  was  only  of  the  dear  ones  whom  they  had 
just  left.  Gradually  the  feeling  wore  off,  as  their  attention 
was  attracted  by  the  grand  scenery  through  which  they  were 
travelling. 

Paul  revelled  in  the  gorgeous  coloring  of  the  autumnal 
foliage  which  covered  mountain,  hill,  and  valley  with  splen- 
did mantles  of  crimson  and  gold.  As  the  train,  following 
the  picturesque  windings  of  the  Lehigh,  crept  along  some 
mountain-side  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  low-lying  bottom 
lands,  his  delight  at  the  vast  expanse  of  exquisite  scenery 
unfolded  before  them  knew  no  bounds. 

"  I  didn't  know  the  world  was  so  beautiful,"  he  said  to 
Derrick,  with  a  sigh  of  deep  content,  as  the  vivid  pictures 
of  the  grand  panorama  flashed  rapidly  by. 

Derrick  shared  this  enthusiasm,  though  to  a  less  extent. 
He  was  more  interested  in  the  various  forms  of  mining 


252     Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines, 

operations  which  were  to  be  seen  on  all  sides.  His  contin- 
ued exclamations  of,  "  Oh,  Paul !  look  at  that  new  breaker," 
or, "  Isn't  that  a  capital  idea  for  a  slope  ?"  at  last  attracted 
the  attention  of  a  middle-aged  gentleman  who,  with  a  lady, 
occupied  the  seat  immediately  behind  them. 

Finally  he  leaned  forward,  and,  speaking  to  Derrick,  said, 
"  Excuse  me ;  but  as  you  seem  to  be  familiar  with  mining 
operations,  perhaps  you  will  kindly  tell  me  what  the  great 
black  buildings,  of  which  we  now  see  so  many,  are  used 
for?" 

"  Why,"  answered  Derrick,  somewhat  surprised  that  any- 
body should  be  ignorant  regarding  what  to  him  were  among 
the  commonest  objects  of  life,  "  those  are  breakers."  Then 
seeing  that  the  other  was  still  puzzled,  he  explained,  sim- 
ply and  clearly,  the  uses  of  breakers,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
found  himself  engaged  in  an  earnest  conversation  with  the 
stranger  upon  mining  in  general,  and  coal  mining  in  partic- 
ular. 

At  last  the  gentleman  said,  "  You  seem  to  be  as  well  in- 
formed on  the  subject  as  a  miner." 

"  I  am,  or  rather  I  have  been,  employed  in  a  mine  until 
very  recently,"  answered  Derrick. 

"  Indeed !  It  must  be  a  most  interesting  occupation,  but 
I  should  think  a  very  dangerous  one.  I  have  a  son  who 
visited  one  of  these  coal-mines  at  the  time  of  a  disaster  that 
threatened  a  number  of  lives,  and  his  accounts  of  what  he 
saw  and  experienced  at  the  time  are  very  thrilling.  It  was, 
I  believe,  at  a  place  called  Kaven  Brook." 


I 


Good-by  to  the  Colliery^  253 

It  was  now  Derrick's  turn  to  be  interested,  and  he  said, 
"Why,  that's  where  we  have  just  come  from!  Raven  Brook 
is  the  station  at  which  we  took  the  train." 

"  If  I  had  known  that  we  were  to  stop  there,"  said  the 
gentleman,  "  I  believe  my  wife  and  I  would  have  got  off  and 
waited  over  one  train,  for  we  have  been  very  curious  to  see 
the  place.  We  have  been  on  a  trip  to  the  West,"  he  added, 
by  way  of  explanation,  "  and  our  son's  accounts  of  his  expe- 
rience came  to  us  by  letter.  Besides,  we  read  much  of  that 
disaster  in  the  papers." 

"  It  was  awful,"  said  Derrick,  simply. 

"  Then  you  were  in  the  village  at  the  time  ?  Perhaps  you 
know  a  brave  young  fellow  named  Derrick  Sterling?"  . 

A  quick  flush  spread  over  the  boy's  face  as  he  answered, 
"  That  is  my  name."  * 

"  What !"  exclaimed  the  gentleman ;  "  are  you  the  young 
man  who  went  back  into  the  mine  and  risked  his  life  to 
save  a  friend  ?" 

"  I  expect  I  am,"  answered  Derrick,  with  burning  cheeks ; 
"  and  this  is  the  friend  I  went  to  find." 

"Well,  of  all  wonderful  things!"  cried  the  stranger. 
"To  think  that  we  should  meet  you  of  all  persons.  Wife, 
this  is  Derrick  Sterling,  the  brave  lad  that  Allan  wrote  to 
us  about,  and  whose  name  has  been  so  much  in  the  papers 
lately." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,"  exclaimed  Derrick,  "  that  you 
are  Allan  McClain's  father  ?" 

"  I  am,"  answered  the  gentleman ;  "  and  this  is  his  mother. 


254    Derrick  Sterling:  A  Story  of  the  Mines. 

We  are  both  very  proud  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Derrick  Sterling  of  whom  our  boy  writes  that  he  is  proud 
to  call  him  friend." 

Paul  received  an  almost  equal  share  of  attention  with 
Derrick;  and  during  the  rest  of  the  journey  their  new- 
found friends  did  everything  in  their  power  to  make  the 
time  pass  quickly  and  pleasantly  to  them. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McClain  gave  the  boys  an  urgent  invi- 
tation to  make  their  house  their  home,  at  least  until  they 
selected  a  boarding-place,  and  were  greatly  disappointed  to 
learn  that  this  was  already  provided  for  them. 

Nothing  could  exceed  Allan  McClain's  amazement  when, 
upon  meeting  his  parents  at  the  rail  way -station  in  Philadel- 
phia, he  found  them  in  company,  and  apparently  upon  terms 
of  intimate  acquaintance,  with  two  of  his  friends  from  the 
Raven  Brook  Colliery.  He  was  delighted  to  learn  that 
Derrick  and  Paul  had  come  to  the  city  to  live,  and  prom- 
ised to  call  the  next  day  and  arrange  all  sorts  of  plans  with 
them. 

Mr.  Halford,  who  was  also  at  the  station,  was  almost 
equally  surprised  to  see  them  with  the  McClains,  who,  he 
afterwards  told  Derrick,  were  among  the  best  families  in 
the  city.  His  carriage  was  at  the  station,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes more  the  two  boys,  who  but  a  short  time  before  had 
been  only  poor  colliery  lads,  were  ushered  into  a  handsome 
house,  where  Mrs.  Halford  and  Miss  Nellie  were  waiting 
to  give  them  a  cordial  welcome. 

Two  days  later  they  were  established  in  pleasant  rooms 


Good-by  to  the  Colliery,  255 

of  their  own,  had  begun  their  studies,  and,  above  all,  found 
themselves  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  warm  friendships. 


Yery  nearly  five  years  after  the  date  of  this  chapter,  just 
before  sunset  of  a  pleasant  summer's  day,  a  barge  party  of 
gay  young  people  rowed  out  over  the  placid  Schuylkill 
from  the  boat-house  belonging  to  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  the  stern  of  the  barge,  acting  as  coxswain,  sat 
a  young  man  of  delicate  frame  and  refined  features.  His 
pale,  thoughtful  face  showed  him  to  be  a  close  student,  and 
the  crutch  at  his  side  betrayed  the  fact  that  he  was  a 
cripple. 

On  each  side  of  the  coxswain  sat  a  young  lady,  both  of 
whom  were  exchanging  good-natured  chaff  with  the  merry- 
faced,  stalwart  fellow  who  pulled  the  stroke  oar. 

"  I  don't  believe  rowing  is  such  hard  work  after  all,"  said 
one  of  them,  "  though  you  college  men  do  make  such  a  fuss 
about  your  training  and  your  practice  spins.  I'm  sure  it 
looks  easy  enough." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Miss  Nellie,"  answered  the  stroke ; 
"  it  is  awfully  easy  compared  with  some  things — cramming 
for  a  final  in  mathematics,  for  instance." 

"  Oh,  Derrick !"  exclaimed  the  other  young  lady,  "  you 
can't  call  that  hard  work.  I'm  sure  it  doesn't  seem  as 
though  you  had  spent  your  time  anywhere  but  on  the  river 
for  the  past  two  months.  If  you  can  do  that,  and  at  the 
same  time  graduate  number  one  in  your  class,  with  special 


256    Derrick  Sterling,  A  Story  of  the  Mi7ies, 

mention  in  mathematics,  the  *  cramming,'  as  you  call  it,  can't 
be  so  very  difficult." 

"All  things  are  not  what  they  seem," chanted  Derrick. 
"It  may  be,  sister  Helen,  that  there  are  some  things  in 
heaven  and  earth  not  dreamt  of  in  your  philosophy,  after 
all." 

"  Oho !"  laughed  Nellie  Halford.  "-Pinafore  and  Shake- 
speare !  What  a  combination  of  wit  and  wisdom !  It's 
quite  worthy  of  a  U.  P.  Senior." 

"  He's  not  even  a  U.  P.  Senior  now,"  said  the  coxswain, 
from  the  stern  of  the  barge.  "He  has  gone  back  in  the 
alphabet,  and  is  only  an  A.  B." 

"  An  idea  for  your  next  cartoon,  old  man,"  cried  Derrick. 
"  The  downfall  of  the  Seniors,  and  their  return  to  the  rudi- 
mentary elements  of  knowledge.  By-the-way,  Polly,"  he 
added,  more  soberly,  "  do  you  remember  that  to-day  is  the 
anniversary  of  your  entering  upon  the  career  of  breaker- 
boy  five  years  ago  ?" 

"  It  is  a  day  I  never  forget,  Dare,"  answered  Paul  Evert, 
gravely,  as  he  gazed  into  the  handsome  sun-tanned  face  in 
front  of  him,  with  a  look  in  which  affection  and  pride  were 
equally  blended. 


THE  END* 


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